Android users can try out Google’s mobile OS Fuchsia interface

An installation file has been released that will allow Android smartphone users to try out the interface of Fuchsia, the smartphone operating system that Google is working on alongside Android and may be the successor to Android.

The first information about Fuchsia came online last year, but did not include an interface at the time. The site Hotfix discovered that Fuchsia now has an interface with Armadillo, which users can try out by installing a regular apk file that Hotfix has put online based on Google’s code.

The interface is a static mockup and not a fully working app. The avatar in the center reveals a menu of toggles, while at the top is a task switcher with windows that users can arrange and resize themselves. At the bottom is a bar from Google where users can enter commands, with suggestions below.

Armadillo shows which direction Google is thinking for an interface of a modern mobile operating system. It is therefore not about apps in a main menu or on a home screen, but maps of open tasks and suggestions from Google.

According to Ars Technica, Fuchsia does not run on a Linux kernel but on a Magenta microkernel written by Google. It would also be more than Android focused on good performance with high frame rates. This is partly due to the use of Google’s Javascript variant Dart in the cross-platform Flutter SDK.

The site is betting that it may take until 2020 before Google will announce products based on Fuchsia. Since the search giant has never spoken openly about Fuchsia, it remains unclear what its plans are. With a new mobile operating system, Google can solve current Android problems, such as faulty device updates.

Google’s first chance to speak about Fuchsia will come next week, when the search giant holds developer conference I/O at its headquarters. It starts next Wednesday.