Android O: Rumoured features surface online

Android O, Google’s next release is just around the corner. Even though we aren’t sure about what the new update will be called, a new report appears to have shared some the expected upcoming features to Android’s next iteration.

According to a report by 9to5Google, Android O will be a substantial update that will bring over a bunch of new features. Firstly, Android O will have improved notifications. It is rumored to adopt a new notification system, Andromeda. This might bring in synced notifications and smarter ordering. However, there is no information provided if this feature will be totally revamped.

Android O will also come with new app icon badges for notifications. The report stated that this would allow you to get a quick glance at how many notifications you have for any given app just by looking at your home screen. Another new feature expected to Android O is picture-in-picture mode, similar to Android TV. This feature will be an AI-based ‘smart text selection floating toolbar’. Google Assistant is rumored to be included in this tool as well.

Lastly, another feature would be ‘restricted background activities' from apps such as Chrome 57. This will result in a reduced usage of power, thus, increasing battery life. This stricter throttling policy in Chrome 57 should result in 25 percent fewer busy background tabs, says Google.

At the moment, it is unclear as to when Android 8.0 will be unveiled. However, we might get a preview of Android O at the Google I/O 2017 in May this year.