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.
Speaking of which, my code analysis suggests the Min Mode feature is application-aware. It checks which application and activity were running before the screen turned off and which component is set to display when the AOD activates. Applications designate this component by registering a “MinModeActivity” in their Manifest file. They will communicate with the exported “MinModeProvider” in SystemUI to register this activity and request the feature’s activation. The system then displays that component on the AOD and prevents screen burn-in by shifting every pixel by one position every 60 seconds.
Code
<integer name="minmode_burnin_interval_ms">60000</integer>
<integer name="minmode_burnin_shift_px">1</integer>
<integer name="minmode_burnin_padding">5</integer>Essentially, Min Mode appears to be a mechanism for enabling persistent live activities on Android. Apps can provide minimal, AOD-compliant activities for the OS to display while the device is idle, enabling richer, more glanceable experiences without sacrificing battery life. This is perfect for things like Google Maps navigation, which can heavily drain the battery because of its simultaneous use of location services, mobile data, and the display.
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In fact, we recently spotted evidence that Google Maps might be one of the first apps to use the new AOD Min Mode. My colleagues discovered that Google Maps is developing an extremely minimalist power-saving mode that strips away almost all UI elements and makes the interface monochrome.
On the surface, there’s nothing directly tying this new power-saving mode to the AOD Min Mode feature I discovered. But digging deeper confirms the connection. For one, the feature’s activity name is “com.google.android.apps.gmm.features.minmode.MinModeActivity.” The code also checks whether AOD Min Mode is enabled at a system level, among other things.
Another strong indicator is a string informing the user that this power-saving mode can’t be used in landscape. This makes sense, as the AOD is limited to portrait mode, so a feature built on it would have the same restriction. Plus, an introductory illustration we found for the feature suggests it’s activated by pressing the phone’s power button — something my colleagues thought was odd but makes perfect sense in light of the AOD Min Mode connection.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
Thus, I’m fairly confident that Google Maps is preparing to use Android’s new AOD Min Mode to display turn-by-turn navigation in a low-power format. The feature is currently disabled at a system level and likely won’t be ready until next year’s Android 17 release, though, so we probably won’t see Google Maps’ new power-saving mode go live until then. I believe AOD Min Mode will be reserved for Android 17 because it appears to be a feature other developers could use, meaning Google will likely open it up as an API. Since Android 16 QPR3 won’t introduce new developer APIs, Android 17 is the most likely release for this feature.
We’ll be keeping an eye on this new AOD Min Mode feature and Google Maps’ power saving mode to see if we can find more information. Subscribe to our Authority Insights newsletter and podcast to stay informed, and let us know in the comments below what you think of these new features!
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