Android is boring

At Google I/O this week, the company has shown off tons of new stuff. And although most of the stuff isn’t actually available, that doesn’t mean it isn’t super cool.

So much of what Google has shown off at I/O has been interesting. And even if some of that stuff seems to be a response to other companies and products, you can’t say that stuff like Google Home and Google Assistant look compelling.

SEE ALSO: Google just revealed its strategy to rule the post-search world. Will it work?

Which brings us to Android.

Historically, Google I/O has been a very Android-heavy show, with its mobile operating system dominating the keynote and subsequent developers sessions. And that makes sense, seeing as how Android has become central to much of Google’s ecosystem.

But this year, with Android N – a project that Google can’t even bother to name itself (#TeamNougat) – I can’t help but feel slightly underwhelmed.

It’s not that the new features – especially the security enhancements – coming to Android aren’t important. And it’s not that Android N is a bad operating system; in the months that I’ve been using the developer previews, I quite like a lot of the refinements and features.

But if I’m totally honest, I’m sort of bored. And this isn’t limited to just Android. Nearly ten years into modern mobile operating systems, we’ve kind of reached a plateau. 

There aren’t a lot of new and exciting features – at least not now – that make any of the major mobile operating systems particularly interesting.

When did mobile OSes become so boring?

Where’s my sizzle?

Google dropped the news of Android N back in March. As a result, a lot of the “sizzle” related to the new operating system was already over by the time the Google I/O keynote kicked off on Wednesday.

Moreover, the stuff Google did show off on stage, had already been announced. I feel confident that every developer attending Google I/O already had at least one Android device running the Android N developer preview.

And so even though the OS is now out in beta – and it’s running pretty well on my test unit (a Nexus 6P), I couldn’t help but be disappointed that there weren’t more whiz-bang features.

This isn’t to say I don’t like what Google is doing with Android, because I do. I think the new notifications shade overhaul is a huge improvement.

I also dig the new multitasking features. Split-screen apps work really well (it’s similar to the way the feature works on the iPad, but is phone-friendly to boot) and that kind of multitasking is a cool feature.

But nothing in Android N has that “sizzle.” The most-exciting potential feature was the rumored Android-equivalent of 3D Touch that wouldn’t require special hardware.

Unfortunately, it looks like that was delayed, because it’s not in the beta. It’s possible this feature could come at a later date but the fact that it hasn’t been announced and there isn’t any official documentation leads me to think this isn’t something that will be out in time for the official release.

And that’s a shame because even if it is something iOS has (for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus), it would be a cool feature that could open up a new UX metaphor for app developers.

Part of me does admire Google’s restraint with Android – focusing on making it better, rather than making it flashy. But as a gadget and tech lover, I still like new features and excitement.

Peak Mobile OS

On this week’s MashTalk, I talked to my colleagues Lance Ulanoff and Pete Pachal about my non-plussed reaction to mobile operating systems, especially in the light of Android N.

Nearly two years ago, I wrote about how iOS and Android had basically reached feature parity with one another, even if the way the two operating systems have very different approaches at how things are done.

Mashable Tech Editor Pete Pachal thinks that the time for sizzle in mobile operating systems may just be over. The real innovation might just have shifted to hardware.

And he has a point. We’re approach nine years of iOS and eight years of Android. Mobile operating systems are fast, robust and have many of the same features (and even underpinnings) of desktop operating systems.

There simply might not be that much room to grow.

What’s next?

Which of course, leads to the inevitable question: What next?

The challenge facing Google, Apple and phone makers is what will compel users to upgrade their existing handsets to something else?

Virtual reality could be that feature – but Google Daydream is in the nascent stages. The platform is launching now, but it will be months (and realistically, probably at least a year) before we see the fruits of that labor come into view. And then we’ll be onto Android O (Orange Sherbet?).

Moreover, the challenge facing Android is that even when we do see big improvements made to core OS features – think the improved app permissions from Marshmallow – it’s difficult to actually get the latest and greatest features into the hands of users.

At the time of this writing, just 7.5% of phones are running Marshmallow. Even if we do have whiz-bang features added, the reality is, it could be months or years before most users get them and that leaves developers less of an incentive to adopt that stuff.

Still, I have to hope that there is something more to come for mobile operating systems.

Maybe the secret will be in AI and machine learning. Google Now (and hopefully, Google Assistant) do a good job predicting what I want to do before I do it. Taking that to the next level and integrating it with app settings – or even apps themselves – could be cool if done the right way.

I don’t know what the future is going to be, but I want some of that sizzle and spark back.

I don’t like being bored.