Android 15 could ship with a taskbar on smartphones. This taskbar works similarly to the one known from tablets or operating systems such as Windows.
Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman discovered the taskbar feature recently and has published information about its functionality and current state.
Up until recently, taskbars on smartphones were frowned upon. Google, Apple, and the manufacturers of other mobile operating systems focused on minimalism instead.
While Google did implement a taskbar in Android 12 for Android tablets and the new foldable category of phones, it continued its work in future releases.
The initial release fixed the taskbar on the screen. One year later, Google introduced an option to hide the taskbar.
The idea behind this was simple: free up as much room as possible for apps or websites viewed by the user.
In Android 15 Beta 4, Rahman discovered a new “tiny” taskbar feature. While not enabled by default, Rahman found a way to enable it to check it out.
He published a video on YouTube that shows his efforts:
Here is what is known right now:
- The smartphone taskbar functions exactly like its bigger cousin for tablets and foldables.
- It has place for fewer shortcuts.
- Google could implement both the old and new taskbar layout. The main differentiating factor is the position of the taskbar on the screen.
The taskbar for smartphones is a work in progress. It may be included in Android 15 because of that.
While not all Android users may want to use a taskbar on their devices, there are probably a few that like the idea. The main benefit is that it offers faster access to certain apps or functions.
Whether that is enough to warrant the display of the taskbar on the screen is up for the individual user to decide.
I would probably never use the feature outside of testing.
What is your take on this? Would you use a taskbar on Android devices, if Google would launch it as part of Android 15? Feel free to write a comment down below.
