For its flagship lines, Samsung introduced wallpapers to the Always-on Display (AoD) feature that lets pertinent info stay on the AMOLED screen at all times, even when the phone is locked. It's an awesome option, as it lets users simply glance at the screen for the time, date, or notification info, instead of having to grab and unlock the phone each time, but is a bit of a battery drain.
That hasn't precluded Galaxy owners from praising it, and we are seeing offshoots of Always-on Display on other phones. Google is now adding support for the wallpaper feature on AoD screens, as it's been having something similar on its own line of Pixel phones. The option was undoubtedly inspired by Samsung's lineup, but Google adds its own tweaks like an always-listening feature which can automatically recognize what song is playing around you, even offline.
The always-on screen wallpaper support has been unearthed in the Android Pie code, with a commit that reveals it will simply show a wallpaper for a minute or so, and then cross-fade it into a black background. Samsung, on the other hand, now even supports short GIF-animated images to be displayed on a locked screen now, but it's a start.
Poaching good ideas from manufacturer overlays has been Google's favorite pastime on Android lately, and Apple does the same with iOS, sometimes even acquiring the apps or features that it then incorporates in the next iOS version. We don't complain, as those new features usually work much better when they are embedded on a system level.
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed: