Google Pixel 4 will reportedly come with iPhone-like dual-SIM support

While we are still waiting to hear some official news on the rumoured Google Pixel 3 Lite, here’s some dirt on the Pixel 4 that has been dug up already.

Per the latest AOSP Gerrit commits spotted by XDA Developer, Google’s 2019 flagship Pixel phones will offer better dual-SIM functionality than what’s on offer currently with the Pixel 3.

Reportedly, the Pixel 4 may come with true dual-SIM support with dual standby (DSDS) protocol, which will allow users to use both SIMs at the same time, as against the current Pixel models. This is a setup that’s very similar to what we have seen on the 2018 Apple iPhones.

If that got you confused, the existing Pixel 2, Pixel 3, and their XL variants, technically do offer dual SIM functionality, however, they support a secondary eSIM . These phones have Dual-SIM but Single Standby (DSSS) standard, which means only one SIM works at a time. With the Dual Standby protocol, both SIMs can run at the same time.

In the commit, along with a mention of adding property value for identifying support for dual SIM functionality, a Google employee also commented in the same thread saying that the 2019 Pixel phone will feature dual SIM functionality and will be different from how it works on the Pixel 3 phones.

Additionally, the report suggests that Google might eventually roll out the Dual Standby protocol to the older Pixel phones as well. Presumably, this is a change that we will see with the arrival of Android Q .