Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR Google is developing a new “Min Mode” feature for the Always-On Display that will allow apps to show their own minimal, persistent interfaces.
This enables richer, glanceable experiences, with Google Maps expected to be one of the first apps to use it for low-power navigation.
The feature uses the same ultra-low-power display state as AOD to save battery and will likely be introduced as a new developer API in Android 17.
Most Android phones have an optional feature called always-on display (AOD) that, as its name implies, keeps your phone’s screen on at all times. This feature is handy because it lets you see the time and new notifications at a glance, though it does drain some extra battery. While Android’s new Live Updates feature lets you see more from certain notifications on the AOD, they can only show so much, forcing you to pick up your phone to get the full picture. To solve this problem, Google is working on a major evolution of the AOD in Android 17 that could allow apps to fully integrate with it.
Recently, I discovered references to a new Android feature called “Min Mode.” Code for this feature resides in Android’s SystemUI package, which is, quite literally, “everything you see in Android that’s not an app.” SystemUI is a persistent process that provides the UI for a variety of system components, such as the status bar, notifications panel, Quick Settings panel, recents menu, volume panel, lock screen, and, most relevantly, the AOD.
Min Mode is specifically part of the AOD’s code, and based on my analysis, it appears to let Android apps persistently display their own specialized, minimal interfaces. Google hasn’t officially detailed Min Mode yet, but here’s what I’ve pieced together from the latest version of SystemUI in the 2510 Android Canary release.
First, I’ve learned that Min Mode is not a replacement for the AOD but rather a new, separate version. It still uses the same ultra-low-power display state as the regular AOD, meaning brightness, refresh rate, and colors are limited. However, instead of the clock and notifications, it displays a full-screen application. While Android will typically show the regular AOD when the screen times out, it can transition to the new Min Mode AOD if an app requests it.
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
The existing, regular AOD interface on a Pixel 10.
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