Google Pixel 4 Feature Spotted By Googler in New Commit

Even though it’s still early to learn about Google’s devices which are planned to be released in October, we’ve seen our fair share of leaks. We will see the “lite” models of the Google Pixel 3 – the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite XL that are reportedly being launched in early 2019, wrote XDA developers.

However, we’re already looking towards the Google Pixel 4 which will run Android Q out of the box. So far, there’s no other information on this device, but a Googler gleaned some information from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Gerrit. The commit found there adds property values in the framework and Telephony service which can tell if a device can support multiSIM functionality – which means that the Pixel 4 will come with dual SIM functionality.

Here is the Googler’s comment:

Even though the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 come with a SIM slot and an eSIM, you cannot use the two simultaneously, as they will only support Dual SIM, Single Standby. So the inactive SIM slot will not let you receive calls or texts like most of the dual SIM Android smartphones and the latest iPhones.

The Duals SIM, Dual Active lets a device use both SIM slots actively for calls, text and data use at the same time.

In the commits on the AOSP Gerrit, we see Android Q come with “dual SIM mode,” which will “differentiate devices that support enablement of dual SIM mode from those that don’t, even if they have two or more SIM cards.”

The Googler comments the commit, saying that the boolean “is required to differentiate 2018 Pixel (which has 2 SIM cards, but dual SIM functionality is restricted to dog fooding) from 2019 Pixel (which will have dual SIM functionality).”

XDA Developers theorize that Google Pixel 4 will be able to use both eSIM and regular SIM in dual standby mode, similar to what the latest iPhones offer.

Will the Google Pixel 3 Lite or Pixel 3 Lite XL come with the same feature? We will have to wait and see.