The Android universe is bustling with enthusiasm as Google has just released the first Developer Preview of Android P. As with all new updates, Android P brings in a host of new features and a revamped user interface to the stock Android interface. However, keen viewers will notice that Android P’s interface feels pretty familiar, especially to those who have been a Samsung Galaxy user in the past. It seems that Google has finally turned to its partners for designing a pleasing user interface for stock Android P.
Let’s start with the Settings menu, which now ditches the monochrome colours of Android Oreo and gets colourful rounded icons as well as a playful layout. The interface carries a new rounded search bar on top with clearly spaced out captions. However, the font and the basic layout remains the same. Samsung’s TouchWiz UI built on Android Lollipop for the Galaxy S6 carried pretty familiar aesthetics, with rounded colourful icons and a similar spaced out layout, albeit with the search button on top instead of a search bar.
Google isn’t done yet. The notification shade also takes a leaf out of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI and Xiaomi’s MIUI. There are also hints of Apple’s iOS here and there, spread through the shade, especially the rounded rectangular card-like layout that resembles iOS’ Control Centre.
And then we come to the Ambient Display, which now takes inspiration from Samsung’s Always-On Display. Last year’s Pixel 2 carried forward the Always-On display with date and time widgets, along with the always-listening audio detection feature. With Android P, it now shows battery percentage as well, making it more productive than before. However, the battery indicator was already present on Samsung's iteration from a considerably long time.
Overall, it seems that Google has taken a leaf out of its partner’s take on Android for the latest build. While it may annoy those who preferred a no-nonsense approach to a mobile operating system, it certainly indicates that Google is now after Apple’s iOS by making the stock Android interface appealing enough for encouraging people to jump from the ‘walled garden’ to its open world ecosystem. It certainly is a positive direction for Android and could enable more manufacturers in the future to stay with a stock iteration of Android, enabling a more actively secure platform that can rival iOS.
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