Google may be bringing multi-window technology to stock Android

Samsung Galaxy Note users can already use multi-window technology, but that feature isn’t available to owners of other smartphones. However, that could all change very soon as an AOSP framework Code Commit was found in Android 5.1 that refers to a feature that allows users to split their display into two halves with a different app running in each half. While nothing else is know about this feature, Google I/O 2015 is in a couple of months and we’re sure to learn more there, assuming Google doesn’t reveal anything sooner.

Google I/O is just around the corner and we have a good feeling Google will talk about/detail new changes headed to their mobile OS. Changes much bigger than what 5.1 — rolling out now to Nexus devices — introduced. With that release now in the books (which mostly dealt with big fixes, dual SIM and HD Voice support) you may be wondering to yourself what could be ahead for future versions of Android. Well, a gem discovered in an AOSP framework code commit is shedding some light on a big new feature coming soon to Android: multi-window apps. As you can see above, there aren’t very many details, just a quick reference. While having multiple apps displayed onscreen at once isn’t a feature that everyone will use, it could be great for Android power users who need more multitasking than what stock Android provides. Really, the idea isn’t anything new. Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI has allowed for multi-window apps for a while now, but exactly how Google plans on implementing this feature remains to be seen.