The next version of Android is coming, and according to a new report out of Bloomberg it’s going to include a major re-design and support for notched screens among other things.
Android P is, according to ‘people familiar with the situation’ who spoke with Bloomberg, going by the codename Pistachio Ice-Cream in line with previous triple barrel codenames for Android development including Oatmeal Cookie (Oreo), Macadamia Nut Cookie (Marshmallow) and Lemon Meringue Pie (Lollipop).
The new version of Android will be a major overhaul which includes support for new display designs which include the iPhone-like notches as seen on the the Essential phone, as well as foldable displays possibly including Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy X phone, and phones with multiple displays like the ZTE Axon M.
As well as support for different display types, Android P (Pavlova?) will also include improved battery life on phones and a deeper integration of Google Assistant. According to the report, Google will offer developers the option to ‘integrate Google’s voice-based technology inside of their apps’. There’s also talk of offering the option to use Assistant when searching using the search bar from the Home Screen.
The report talks of a ‘dramatic redesign’ but there’s no details on how far a redesign will go. Previously, leaks of a Material Design 2.0 have shown in the Google Code source, so we could finally see this in practice. Google has not at this stage released a developer preview for Android P, with Android Oreo and Nougat both seeing developer previews launched ahead of Google I/O which takes place this year on May 8th – 10th.
Android P will likely be described in more detail at Google I/O, so we’ll have to wait a little longer for that.
What would you like to see included in Android P? And more importantly what should it be called?!
Pavlova is a good name. But I still prefer Pancake.
Actually, as long as it is NOT a peanut/pecan/pumpkin/pineapple/peach pie/cake/cookie combination, I am OK with it.
Nice on the Pavlova! Still say you should be running a big campaign to make Android P – Pavlova (oh, and Great again!).