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A desktop-like taskbar currently available in tablets and foldables may soon be available for all phones with Android 15. A new Weather app for Pixel phones is reportedly coming too.
The Pixel 9 series launches next week, and while it will likely still run a year-old generation of Android, Google may have some substantial changes brewing for the next version. With Android 15, expected to arrive in the coming months, Google could bring a taskbar to regular-sized phones in addition to foldables and tablets, making multitasking easier.
A persistent taskbar similar to the macOS dock may become standard on phones running Android 15, Android Authority reported. The taskbar is already present on Android tablets, including the Pixel Tablet from 2023, and book-style foldables such as the OnePlus Open and the Galaxy Z Fold lineup. While its expansive layout makes it practically impossible to use on smaller, more conventionally-shaped screens, Android 15 could add the ability to use it across a broader range of devices.
Code indicating the “tiny” taskbar is present in the fourth beta of Android 15, which rolled out last month. Even though you can’t activate the feature through a switch in the visual interface, folks over at Android Authority were able to activate it with some hacking and reverse engineering.
A demo video shows the taskbar with just four icons — the same as on the bottom of the homescreen — alongside another icon to launch a floating app drawer. The taskbar floats over open apps and can be used without having to go back to the homescreen. The primary benefit is the ability to launch apps in split screen or floating window, though we expect Android phone companies to take the liberty to customize it as per their custom skins.
The floating version also automatically hides after a certain period of inactivity, but you can set it to “Always show.” Besides phones, the toggle will also be available on foldables and tablets. While we may not see these features come to all devices, we can at least hope for Google’s own devices — as well as those running near-stock versions of Android — to host them.
Given Google’s past record, it’s also possible these changes don’t make it to the final builds of Android 15 or even future generations.
Pixel 9 to Get a New Weather App
Along with wider changes coming to Android 15, Google has some changes coming exclusively to the Pixel 9 series. In addition to its speculated exclusive AI features, the Pixel 9 phones are now reported to come with a new Weather app — just a year after the company revealed a redesigned weather app for the Pixel devices.
Screenshots shared by Android Authority in a separate report give us a glimpse of the minimal interface on the upcoming Pixel Weather app. Google is now prioritizing more prominent text while utilizing blank spaces more effectively by layering text over minimal graphics. That also means the iconic weather frog will see an exit.
Elements inside the app use rounded edges similar to the redesigned At A Glance and search widgets on the homescreen. Lastly, the new app has fewer animations — though it could be due to the early development stage.
We aren’t exactly sure whether Google will launch the app for Pixel 9 and older devices right at the time of the launch or delay it alongside Android 15. However, we will gain clarity during the Pixel event on August 13th.
