Pixel phones will get a smarter always-on display that saves battery life
 

TL;DR

• Google is working on a new setting that gives Pixel users more control over the Always-on Display.
• This new option will automatically power down the display when no user activity is detected, helping save battery life.
• The feature isn’t live yet, and it’s unclear exactly how Android will determine when the phone is inactive.

At the cost of some battery life, your phone’s always-on display (AOD) feature lets you see the time and new notifications at a glance. While most Android phones have an AOD, it doesn’t behave the same way on every device. Some phones let you schedule the AOD to benefit from its glanceable information without unnecessarily draining the battery. Pixel phones, however, offer no such controls — the AOD is either on or off during the day. Fortunately, Google is working on a new setting that will soon give Pixel users more control over this feature.

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Earlier today, Google released a new Android Canary build. While its most visible change is a redesigned flashlight brightness slider, a look under the hood reveals that Google is also working on AOD enhancements. Code within the Settings app points to a new option to “turn off display on inactivity,” which “powers down the display when no user activity is detected to save power.” The string names confirm this new setting is for the AOD:




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