Google might soon update Pixel devices with always-on mode for Ambient Display

An APK breakdown performed by XDA Developers suggests that Google might be working on an always-on mode for Ambient Display. Currently, on Pixel and Nexus devices, Ambient Display is a way to glance at notifications via a black and white screen that activates when taken out of a pocket or pulses when a notification comes in.

Google is actively working toward creating an always-on version of its baked-in Ambient Display feature as spotted in coding. A Google Pixel with the latest Android O Developer Preview was used to decompile its SystemUIGoogle.apk where a string of code gives us this hint:

As XDA mentions: in code, “doze” refers to Ambient Display, and not the new power-saving feature that was baked into Marshmallow. Google’s engineers choose a reference name for a feature that may not be reflective of the feature’s actual name. Thus, “doze_always_on” could mean what you think it means.

It’s worth noting that this feature may not even come with Android O, the particular string of code is written to be accessed from Android’s more hidden SystemUI Tuner menu which can be accessed (in most smartphones) by pulling the notification shade down and press-holding the settings icon. Google might let us test it via developer previews and then remove it from the final build only to add it in a future update or in a new Android version.

Check out the source link to see more of XDA’s findings. How many of you are missing this feature on your Google Pixel? Is it worth the extra battery draw?

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