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I want this Galaxy S24 feature on every Android phone
Samsung copied Apple's AOD homework, and now I want everybody else to do the same
I've been using the Samsung Galaxy S24+ for a few weeks now. Generally, it's a really good phone, but it's not a very exciting one. Despite Samsung's focus on AI, the biggest improvements this year are around the margins: compared to the Galaxy S23+, the S24+ has a higher-res display, more RAM, and better battery life. Like I said, good, but not especially groundbreaking.
Apple's hubris is standing between the iPhone and a fully baked always-on display
Android did it first — and better
As Android users, mocking Apple for claiming a years-old feature as some revelation is a tradition as old as time. Each September, when the company takes the stage to announce a new iPhone lineup, it occasionally takes something from Android only to hail it as a groundbreaking feature years in the making. As tempting as it might feel to joke about the Dynamic Island this year — the name's just asking for it — it's the always-on display that makes Apple look truly late to the party. Unfortunately for anyone considering the iPhone 14 Pro, the always-on display isn't just bad — it's a complete misunderstanding of what an always-on display should accomplish.
The iPhone 14 may be getting an always-on display, but Android phones perfected it years ago
What took so long?
While we Android users might still be recovering from the whirlwind that was Google I/O, Apple fans are preparing for their own developer conference. WWDC's keynote address is next week, promising an early look at iOS 16 before its launch later this year, and already, rumors are starting to fly. Once again, analysts expect to see always-on display support finally come to iPhones, starting with the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Unfortunately, all these rumors demonstrate just how behind the times Apple is, with a feature many of our readers rely on daily.
Five obscure beginnings to some of our favorite smartphone features
They've been around longer than you'd think
Many features we now consider standard equipment for our smartphones weren't so common a few years ago. Looking into the origins of some of them can be surprising for several reasons: sometimes they're older than expected, more recent than you remember, or originated in a device you've never heard of before.
OnePlus Watch Q&A says it won't have always-on display at launch
Smooth animations, Google Fit syncing, and phone compatibility are also laid out
It's been a week since OnePlus formally announced its Watch, surprisingly running home-grown software that gives it nigh-unbelievable battery life. Today a OnePlus product manager posted a Q&A about the upcoming Watch on the company's forum, bringing some much-needed insight into the choices made for the new wearable.
Seven OxygenOS features we hope to see in stock Android someday
Good artists copy... you know the rest
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Much more than hardware, OnePlus has matured on the software front in its relatively short existence in the smartphone space. In all these years, OxygenOS has embraced some neat little features that, in their own imperceptible ways, make our lives much easier. We’ve always liked how OnePlus handles customizations and its myriad of accessibility features. Now that some of these OxygenOS elements have lately been creeping into stock Android, we’re left wanting more.
T-Mobile OnePlus 8T gets always-on display more than a month late
Carrier-branded versions always draw a short stick somewhere
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It took OnePlus long enough, but the company finally introduced an always-on display option (and an easily toggleable dark mode) with its latest Android 11-based firmware. However, the always-on display option is missing from Oxygen OS 11 on the T-Mobile carrier variant of the OnePlus 8T, as Redditor u/konnesotan was quick to point out. When we reached out to T-Mobile, we were told that the feature should be added in December.
OnePlus just upped the ambient display ante with OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 2 for OP8 phones
Ambient display has never been so aesthetic
Google may have set the pace in releasing a stable version of Android 11 for its phones earlier this month, but OnePlus isn't far behind. After debuting Open Beta 1 for OxygenOS 11 on September 8, the company is already pushing out Open Beta 2 to devices in the OnePlus 8 family. The new update fixes bugs and improves stability, but it also introduces a new feature that takes ambient display to the next level aesthetically.
Google made some changes to how Digital Wellbeing's "bedtime mode" works back in April, renaming it from Wind Down and adding a "while charging at bedtime" setting. But the company is not done tweaking things, as we've spotted a few new changes, like the option to turn off the always-on display in bedtime mode, and some tweaks to the "while charging at bedtime" notification.
Always-on display for OnePlus phones could look something like this
This oft-requested feature isn't far away now
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Recent OnePlus phones have largely closed the gap with mainstream flagships by adding widely-requested features like wireless charging and an IP rating, but there’s still room for improvement. An always-on display setting is perhaps the most sought-after software feature, and it even topped OnePlus’s crowdsourced suggestions for OxygenOS, following which, the company decided to greenlight it. With the IDEAS campaign coming to an end, OnePlus has shared a timeline for AOD’s projected arrival.
This app lets you (sort of) add a notification LED to the OnePlus 8
Not exactly the AOD solution you had asked for, but it’s still workable
Shrinking screen bezels have played a big role in the disappearance of the subtly breathing notification LED from our modern phones. An always-on display is a fine middle ground that lets you stay on top of your notifications right from the lock screen, but OnePlus hasn’t been able to perfect it for general availability. While you wait for the feature to see the light of day, the only way to get a notification indicator (well, kind of) on your OnePlus 8 right now is through the aodNotify app, but it brings along with some unwelcome implications.
Always-on display finally coming to OnePlus phones
After years of requests and waffling, the company has promised it's "on our roadmap"
Although the company has been teasing us with the idea for almost a year now, OnePlus has just announced that a much-requested always-on display feature is coming. The company says that the feature is "on our roadmap" and being fine-tuned following widespread requests via the new IDEAS platform, but there's still no date attached to the promise.
The lightly tweaked version of Android that OnePlus phones use, called OxygenOS, has some pretty big advantages going for it. There are even things about it that we'd like to see make their way to stock Android. But there's always room for improvement, and we've got a (slightly larger) wishlist of changes that we think could make it even better.
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- Google has made Ambient Mode official without much fanfare. A YouTube video and a couple of tweets mention its launch, but only for "select devices" with Android 8.0 and above. Google has confirmed to Ron Amadeo that Ambient Mode will come to Nokia, Xiaomi, Sony, and Transsion phones, plus the Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab and the Lenovo Smart Tab M8 HD with charging station. No Pixels or Samsung or Huawei in sight.
When Google first introduced the Google Assistant Ambient Mode, it was initially limited to smart displays. Then at IFA 2019, Google introduced a version for portable devices, such as tablets and phones, turning them into something like a Google Nest Hub when they're docked or being charged. After being initially available for only a handful of tablets and phones, the Assistant ambient mode is starting to roll out to more phones.
In time for the holiday season, Fitbit is updating a whole bunch of software and services in the hopes of getting everyone excited and resolved for a healthier 2020 — just as it hopes Google ownership will improve its stance in the fitness tech marketplace. Fitbit OS 4.1 will be rolling out some features originally exclusive to the Versa 2 to other smartwatches while Fitbit Premium will be adopting more special routines to inspire some better habits.
Google may have just purchased Fitbit, but it still has a wearable platform of its own to take care of — Wear OS. Despite its wide array of capabilities that go beyond merely displaying the correct time, that function remains the main utility of a device strapped to your wrist. It's sad to see that during the switch to standard time, some watches' always-on displays kept showing daylight saving hours.
With the Pixel 4 finally shipping to users and reaching more and more hands, we're starting to get wind of a few quirks we didn't expect. Due to the new Soli radar chip, some features you may have grown accustomed to might behave differently, like lockscreen notifications being hidden and the Always-on display automatically turning off after about 30 seconds.
Google Assistant has quickly grown from a simple voice control app to a full-blown product that encompasses many elements of Google's software strategy, proactively providing people with data about themselves. After showing off the super-fast, hardware-specific next-gen Assistant at I/O, Google is still looking to improve the experience for everyone. It appears that the company is working on bringing Assistant updates to the Ambient Display.
Count yourself lucky if you have a phone that can keep its display on to show you the time or a late notification without the need to blast all of the screen with light. Well, except for when you pull your phone out of your pocket — the panel goes on blast and your eyes are the worse for it. Plenty of people do and one such person has gone out of their way to request always-on display palm rejection from Google — and they're going to get it.
In addition to providing fast and frequent updates, OnePlus is becoming one of the most communicative Android phone manufacturers: It's actually hearing and responding to requests for new features. Back in May, the company spoke out about reported issues and a handful of community requests for the 7 Pro — things like wide-angle video support, and an always-on display — and today it's providing further updates about those requests, as well as others.