Google trials Bubbles API on Messages app for Android

2 min. read

Published on December 27, 2019

published on December 27, 2019

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Bubble notifications on Pixel devices came and went with Android 10 Beta 2. The feature was well-received and enabled users to multitask during conversations, so many were disappointed not to see it in the stable release of Android 10. It then came to light that Google is further developing the feature to replace the current overlay API, to make a new Bubbles API.

In the lead-up to its official release, Google is testing the feature on its messaging apps. Upon receipt of a notification, a Facebook Messenger-esque bubble with your friend’s face will pop-up in the periphery of the screen, along with the app icon and message preview.

When you ignore the message, the preview will vanish, leaving a little dot to mark the unread messages.

If you choose to reply, you just need to click on the bubble to open the conversation in an overlay, removing the need to switch to the Messages app. If you want the notification out of your sight, you can press down on it, and drag it to the ‘x’ on the bottom of the screen.

Alternatively, you can disable the feature for the particular app from within the app settings.

The official release date of the feature hasn’t yet been confirmed, but in the meantime, Android 10 users can manually enable Bubbles API from within the Developer Options: