Google Tests Android Feature to Automatically Turn Off Screen When Not in Use

When Android device owners eventually get free planned software updates for their phones later this year, a new feature might be waiting for them alongside app performance updates and bolstered privacy and security. Google is reportedly testing a new feature that will automatically turn off the screen when you’re not using your device.

The new feature, called adaptive timeout, and written about earlier by 9to5Google, appears to use sensors such as proximity detectors to determine if you’re using the phone. The publication said that though the new feature has been added to Android test software, it does not appear to function yet.

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the feature. The company announced earlier this week it had hit “platform stability,” meaning that the company’s planned new developer programming features, including to help improve battery life and app performance, have been finalized ahead of release.

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Google’s move to add smaller yet notable new tweaks and features to its Android software follows a long pattern of companies tinkering with their products during wider testing ahead of release. Apple similarly has added and removed various features from its test software at times, typically in response to feedback or because they couldn’t be implemented as intended within the company’s own self-imposed deadlines. 

Sometimes, companies make major software changes during public testing. Microsoft notably removed one of its key features for Copilot Plus PCs just before they hit store shelves this week. Days before launch, Microsoft said it would not be including its Recall feature, which was designed to use a mix of regular screenshots and artificial intelligence to help people more easily backtrack through documents, apps and websites. Privacy and security experts worried Recall could be a serious risk to users, prompting Microsoft to spend more time testing the technology and bolstering its security.

Google is expected to continue publicly testing its Android 15 software through the summer, after which it will send finished versions to manufacturers such as Samsung, OnePlus, Nothing and Motorola. Last year, Google offered free Android 14 software updates for owners of its Pixel phones in October.