Google Assistant Ambient mode previewed, rolling out to select Android 8.0+ devices

Google has announced a new Ambient mode for Android devices that is powered by Google Assistant. The new ambient mode will deliver a proactive Google Assistant experience by turning your phone into a digital photo frame, showing useful options to control your smart home or music, the weather, upcoming calendar appointments, and more.

This new Google Assistant Ambient mode will only show up when your Android phone or tablet is put on charge. The company already offers a similar Ambient mode for smart displays and it is now bringing them to smartphones.

While many Android devices already display the time and/or battery status while being charged, Google's Ambient mode is different as it can display more information and provide quick access to certain actions.

This new Ambient mode will show up on selected Android devices from Nokia, Xiaomi, and Sony running Android 8.0 Oreo or higher. The rollout will be controlled by Google since the feature is deeply integrated into the Android OS itself. Once the feature is available for your Android device, you will automatically get a prompt to enable it when you put it on charge next.

Google further says that while Ambient mode is the first step, it has a number of "different proactive experiences planned" for mobile devices.

Many Nokia and Xiaomi smartphone owners have already got this feature activated on their phones. In case you have also got the new Google Assistant Ambient mode on your device but are not liking it, you can disable it from the Google Assistant settings on your phone.