Android 15 is proving to be an interesting update as more information about this landmark update is surfacing online. Earlier reports suggested that chat bubbles would soon appear in the mini multitasking dock on tablets. However, now there is news of a hidden development that will allow smartphone and tablet users to use any apps in a floating window. While this may seem minor, it could change the way you use the Recents screen and improve multitasking on smartphones.

Android Authority has reported a feature that is currently hidden in the first quarterly release of the Android 15 platform. Mishaal Rahman, known for revealing numerous upcoming Android updates, discovered mentions of the “bubble whatever” feature in beta 2 of this version.

Rahman claims that once the feature is activated, Pixel Launcher adds a new “bubble” button to the context menu that appears after long-pressing any app on the home screen. Selecting this “bubble” option launches the selected program in a floating bubble (or floating window).

Rahman notes that the previously discovered Popup Panel feature, which consolidates all popup chat conversations into a small dock (only on tablets), could turn this newly discovered feature into improved multitasking on Android devices.

Many Chinese smartphone brands already provide the ability to run apps in floating windows, which makes Google’s recent revelation of support for the feature less exciting for Android users in the East. In fact, the software on Chinese devices like OnePlus and Realme even allows users to share content directly from the app in a floating window that can be closed or minimized after interaction. However, users can usually only open one or two apps at a time in floating window mode, depending on the device.

Regardless, it’s nice to see Google adding support for this in source. It will be interesting to see how this changes the way bubbles are used on Android, as it could potentially replace the current Recents screen used to switch between apps open in the background on smartphones and tablets. App bubbles (instead of chat bubbles) clearly add another layer to multitasking on smartphones, so it can get a bit confusing to use. The source also claims that since this is a significant change, Google might reserve it for Android 16 instead of launching with Android 15. We’ll have to wait to find out what Google has in store for us.