When Android 16 arrives next year, perhaps earlier than the usual fall release, it may bring interesting new ways of multitasking At least, that's what recently discovered code seems to suggest

In a recent code dive, Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority discovered an interesting multitasking upgrade that may be part of the Android 16 update The Bubble API allows messaging apps to appear in a floating window on top of other apps to quickly respond to chats When the chat app window is minimized, it turns into a bubble icon that reappears when needed

In the current version of Android, the bubble tool only works for chat apps, and not all conversation apps support this feature; as Rahman points out, “the UI launched within the bubble is just a normal Android activity It's not” Theoretically, nearly all Android apps should work if bubbled, potentially providing a way to quickly switch between apps when multitasking

Rahman was able to get the new bubble API version working in the Android 15 QPR1 beta He also found references to a “bubble anything” feature

In the current beta version, Pixel Launcher adds a bubble button to the context menu when the Bubble Anything tool is activated Long-press the app icon on the home screen and a contextual menu will pop up Tapping the Bubble option in the menu will open the app in a floating window inside a bubble

Rahman noted that Google also has code for a bubble bar feature, which allows multiple bubbled apps to be placed in one box that can be tapped in and out Another possibility is a “bubble hide” feature that pushes the icon bubble to the side of the screen The bubble would be halved, but appears to be able to be grabbed for quick access

Rahman believes that these bubble features would all work well on some of the best Android tablets because of the larger display size However, the ability to bubble any app and store those bubbles in an easily accessible nav bar or on the side of the screen would benefit even the best Android phones

As a reminder, this type of code dive gives us an idea of what Google is working on for the Android operating system There is no guarantee that the features discovered will be put into practice, nor is there any guarantee that there will be no major changes to the feature once it is launched

Android 16 will not arrive until 2025, but we have already heard many rumors about Google's update plans; Rahman previously discovered a possible change in the way Android users navigate notifications and the Quick Settings screen