Google has recently revealed its upcoming Android 7 operating system will come with a split screen user interface for easier multi-tasking.
The search engine giant’s latest Android OS version, the 6.0 Marshmallow, has only been out since October and the company is already working on its successor, the Android 7.
Codenamed “Android N,” the new operating system has been hinted to carry a multi-screen interface and multi-window support, Tech Times has said.
Google’s next major Android build is said to be covering all the other aspects Marshmallow missed out on, which will appear on the seventh iteration of the OS.
The news went viral after the company’s Director for Consumer Hardware, Andrew Bowers, answered a question directed to the Google Pixel C Team during a Reddit AMA session celebrating the launch of the new Google Pixel C tablet.
According to Bowers, the team was working on several features for “Android N,” and to keep from spoiling the whole surprise, he revealed that a split screen was currently in the works, Tech Worm wrote.
While a split screen user interface is not new to Android devices, with Samsung touting the feature in its Galaxy Note line, it is yet to be confirmed whether the feature will appear on both phones and tablets to enable users to maximize the multi-tasking feature.
The advent of the split-screen UI will bring Google up to speed on its competition, notably Apple, which has incorporated the feature on its iPads, just as Microsoft has done with its Surface devices.
With a split-screen on the display, users will be able to have two apps open at any single time, using a menu to swipe entries on to either side, leaving the other half occupied with another program, their Recents menu, or the device’s home screen.
Despite the split screen, users will still be able to drag content, images, and text snippets from one side of the display to the other, Android Police wrote.
While Google has yet to announce when it is bringing the Android 7 OS to the market, there are hints it may officially launch before the company’s annual I/O in May next year.
Join the Conversation