- The proof of a rescue mode for Android has been spotted
- It would be activated on lockled and loaded phones
- The iPhone equivalent was introduced with iOS 17 in 2023
Android 16 could start to be pushed back to the masses during the following month, and the signs of another new imminent feature were identified in the platform code: a version of the iOS standby mode for phones powered by Google.
This was spotted by Android Authority and concerns the hidden code in the Android 16 Beta and Google Play services. The key reference is to launch content from “softening” devices, which strongly suggest phones and tablets in standby mode.
If you are not familiar with the helping mode on iOS, it displays a clock and other widgets on the iPhone screen when it is placed horizontally and loaded. Combine it with a Magsafe charger, and it essentially transforms an iPhone locked in a smart screen.
Although Google’s evidence doing something similar with Android 16 are fairly light at the moment, it would be logical that something like this was introduced: it is a practical feature, as has been shown by third-party rescue mode options for Android.
Loads and centers
Another part of the puzzle is the Qi2 load standard, which will provide a Wireless Load Experience of the Magsafe type to Android phones. Supporting this is limited at the moment, but more Android phones ready for Qi2 are expected in the next year.
It also seems that Google is preparing to add a watch button to the Android interface, again as indicated by the hidden code, and it seems that the display setting is built at the top of the existing Hub mode available on the Google Pixel tablet.
Many more features are expected in Android 16, based on what Google has already told us, what is now available in beta software and what has been spotted in leaks. We know that the software will be delivered with a updated look and new safety and battery features.
We will almost certainly know more about Android 16 during the Google I / O 2025 event, which begins tomorrow, and will include updates on AI, Android, Chrome, etc. You can get all the news of the E / O here on Techradar and watch live.
