Google’s upcoming merged Android and Chrome OS version, Andromeda, has been confirmed by references found in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) pages of Nougat.
In case you didn’t know, Google publishes the source code of Android, under the AOSP, for OEMs and developers to modify and release their own versions of Android.
When Android 7.0 Nougat was released, Google touted Seamless Updates as one of the highlights of new phones, which ship with the OS. This is because, Nougat uses two partitions, to update the OS silently in the background, while the user continues to use the device. This is a feature of ChromeOS, and possibly a result of it being folded into Android, as part of the Andromeda project.
Now, while reports suggest that Google could demo Andromeda on October 4th, 9to5Google has found references of the new OS being tested on the Google Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9 devices.
Two pages on the AOSP website refer to Andromeda’s performance on the 2014 devices from the MountainView company. Interestingly, the comments under the first AOSP page, says that the Nexus 9 (codename Volantis), scored poorly (around 8.8, barely above the minimum threshold of 8 points) in Surface Composition tests. The Nexus 6, in comparison, seems to have fared better at somewhere below 28.
This also brings a glimmer of hope for the Nexus 6, regarding future updates. Will it get more updates past October 2016 (its previously declared End-of-life support?)
The second page, mentions “Flushed Nexus 9 device using volantis and volantis-andromeda images”. This appears to be a comparison between the regular Android factory image, and one based on the new merged Andromeda OS. The
A third page, refers to Free Form Window management in Andromeda, which will allow devices to run apps in tabs, like on computers.
This feature, which is hidden under the developer options, in Nougat, allows any app to be resized in multiwindow mode. It might make its official debut in Andromeda. likely for large screen devices like Tablets.