Apple’s plans for iOS 12 have just been leaked, but so have Google’s. Apple is looking to improve the overall quality of its yearly software releases, starting with iOS 12, which means that some of the features planned for this year’s major iPhone and iPad software update will be postponed to 2019.
Google, meanwhile, has recognized the value of the iPhone X notch, and it’s looking to adapt Android P for future Android devices that might embrace the iPhone X’s signature feature.
The same Bloomberg that just spilled the dirt on Apple’s software development shakeup happens to have plenty of details on Android P, which is dubbed internally Pistachio Ice Cream. That’s not, however, Android P’s final name. People familiar with the matter said that Google is overhauling Android to work on phones with notches going forward. The Android update will also focus on adapting Android to other designs, including multiple screens and foldable displays.
Apparently, convincing iPhone users to switch to Android is “a key goal” for Android P. So the way to do it is improving the look of the software, the sources revealed, on top of supporting the notch.
Google expects the iPhone X notch design to become more popular in the future across Android, the report notes, which is why Google is making sure Android P will support it.
If that’s accurate, then Bloomberg may have just confirmed that the Pixel 3 series, due this fall, might come with an iPhone X-like design. Google already said last year that it killed the headphone jack so that it can create all-screen devices in the future. Let’s also remember that every year’s new Android features are best showcased by Pixel devices, just as it was the case with the Nexus series. If Google is indeed making sure Android P supports iPhone X like designs, the best way to demo this particular feature is to release a Pixel model this year sporting an advanced front-facing 3D facial recognition system.
Other notable Android P features should include battery life improvements and a tighter integration of Google’s Assistant.
What Android P will not fix is Android’s most annoying problem: slow updates. Non-Pixel devices that launch with Android Oreo this year will get Android P only in late 2018 or well into 2019, whether or not they’ll have iPhone X designs or not.
