Google’s second Pixel family (Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL) apparently does not offer as many features when we compare the new phones with the Samsung, Huawei, Sony, LG or Lenovo in the legacy of the Android generation – but anyway the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL still have some special features that catch the attention of many.
First of all, we have the reputable single sensor camera that delivers an incredible portrait mode thanks to Google’s powerful and sophisticated algorithm. And second, there’s the Now Playing feature, which uses the microphone on your phone to recognize which songs are being played around you.
As well as the portrait mode, Now Playing also remained exclusive to the Pixel 2 family for some time – but this may change in the near future thanks to the free essence of Android.
An independent developer was able to release the AOSP-based Now Playing code. This programmer, who only answer to the nickname “frap129” on the XDA website, confirmed that after several attempts he finally managed to carry the song identification feature through CarbonROM, an AOSP based platform.
He explains that it needed reverse engineering in the official Google code to get the feature working on AOSP ROMs and that it is currently available via CarbonROM on the Pixel 2 XL.
In an email response, the developer said that at the moment he is working to bring the feature to other devices running an AOSP ROM, something that definitely paves the way for many possibilities.
As with portrait mode recently, it seems that we will see Now Playing arriving on non-Pixel devices over the coming weeks, breaking the exclusivity of Google’s mobile phones with one of Android’s cool features.
Now it’s only a matter of time and hope that the results will be positive with the tests.
