With Android 15 Beta 2, you might have noticed that the time has disappeared from the Google Photos slideshow when your phone is charging on the Pixel Stand.
The changes start when you place your phone on a Pixel Stand and Google Photos activates. At the bottom of the slideshow, the time and charging status (percentage + how long until full) no longer appear. All you get is the album name in the bottom-right corner.
Android 14 vs. 15 Beta 2
Additionally, the Google Assistant icon is no longer on the always-on display for one-tap access, though the Hey Google hotword remains.
If you go to Settings > Display > Screen saver, the preferences app will crash. Similarly, on the Pixel Tablet, you can no longer access Settings > Hub Mode > Screen saver to make any changes. That said, your previous choice remains available.
Under-the-hood, Android 15 Beta 2 adds the “Dreams” app/service to phones. Google first introduced this application for the Pixel Tablet to power the docked Screen saver experience. This new version of the Dreams app on Pixel phones is labeled “dreamliner” in a reference to the Pixel Stand. Google might be consolidating how the two similar experiences operate.
As part of this change, the UI for selecting Google Photos albums has been updated and no longer goes through Assistant.
Hopefully, future updates will return the old Google Photos experience as knowing the time is a key part of the Pixel Stand for some.
More on Android 15:
Thanks Philip!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.