Google’s Next Android Version Will Be More ‘Notch’ Friendly

The iPhone X has popularized the “notch” for bezel-less smartphones. The notch houses the complex TrueDepth cameras for facial recognition as well as the front-facing camera. Android-powered smartphones like the Essential Phone have had notches, it’s barely a notch, but there aren’t a lot of such devices. According to a new report, Google’s upcoming version of Android is going to be more notch-friendly.

It would make sense for the next Android version to be more notch-friendly because many OEMs are expected to introduce devices this year which will have a notch on the front due to facial recognition components and advanced front-facing cameras.

Bloomberg reports that Google’s aim with the next Android version is to improve the overall look of the software to entice more iPhone owners to jump ship. It sees embracing the notch as a part of the strategy to make that happen. Software support will mean that more OEMs will be able to go down this road and launch devices with cutouts at the top of the screen.

The next Android version – Android P – is also expected to bring improvements for Google Assistant. Developers will reportedly be able to integrate Google Assistant into their apps. The company may have also thought about integrating the search bar on the Android home screen with Assistant.

None of these changes are said to have been finalized so far for Android P that’s internally being referred to as “Pistachio Ice Cream,” and we’ll only know for sure what this version of Android brings to the table once Google unveils it later this year.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: android p, Google