Your Android always-on display might be about to get a massive upgrade

For years, the Always-On Display (AOD) on Android phones has been pretty straightforward: it sips battery to show you the time, notification icons, and maybe the weather. It’s useful, but static. Well, Google seems ready to finally make it truly interactive with a new capability in Android 17 called “Min Mode.”According to a new report, this isn’t replacing the standard AOD. Instead, it’s a whole new, dedicated display state. When you set your phone down or lock it while an app is active, “Min Mode” will allow that app to take over the entire screen with a persistent, minimalist interface.

To make this work without destroying your battery, it uses the same low-power tech as the regular AOD—think limited brightness and a super-low refresh rate. Developers will have to create a special, stripped-down component for their apps to even be allowed to use it.

Google Maps is reportedly the first app in line to get this treatment. Imagine having monochrome, turn-by-turn directions constantly visible on your screen during a long drive, all without the massive battery drain of keeping the full Maps app open.

This move essentially turns the AOD from a passive “info panel” into an active, glanceable tool. And let’s be honest, this sounds very familiar. Apple has been pushing this idea hard with Live Activities on the lock screen and, more recently, the Standby Mode, which turns a charging iPhone into a smart display.

Google’s “Min Mode” looks like its answer to this, but it might be even more practical since it’s not just for when the phone is charging. This is about making your phone useful even when it’s “off” in a car mount or just sitting on your desk.

The report notes this will likely be a new developer API, which is the most important part. You can easily imagine fitness apps showing live workout stats, music apps displaying minimalist controls, or smart home apps giving you a persistent status of your lights. The potential is huge, but it all hinges on developers actually using it.

I’m all for this. Android’s AOD has felt pretty stale for a while, especially compared to the dynamic info Apple has been pushing. This feels like Google is playing catch-up, but in a very smart, platform-focused way.

My one big concern? Battery life. The entire point of an AOD is that it sips power. The success of “Min Mode” will live or die based on developer restraint. The Google Maps example—monochrome, essential data only—sounds perfect. But if developers get greedy and try to cram colorful, animated junk into this mode, it’s just going to become a new, “persistent” way to kill our batteries.