Hidden AOD in Motorola Edge 50 Pro: what's going on?

If you’re a Motorola Edge 50 Pro user, you might have recently stumbled across an intriguing anomaly. Search for “AOD” (Always-On Display) in your phone’s settings, and — surprise! The option pops up in the search results. But when you tap on it, you’re met with… well, nothing. Sure, Sleep (or Peek) Display is still there, but it doesn’t offer the same functionality as AOD.

So, what’s the deal? Why is Motorola teasing AOD on the Edge 50 Pro when the feature isn’t supposed to exist on the device?

For those out of the loop, AOD is a feature that keeps your screen partially active, displaying critical information like the time and notifications even when the phone is idle. It’s a hallmark of devices with LTPO displays — the kind found in the Motorola Edge 50 Neo. The Edge 50 Pro, however, lacks this type of display and instead offers Motorola’s Peek Display, a feature designed to give you a quick glance at notifications without fully waking up the screen. This is the case for other devices in the Moto Edge 50 series except the Neo.

Peek Display has been Motorola’s go-to alternative for years. According to a Moto agent on Reddit, Motorola doesn’t fancy traditional AOD on its devices and instead champions the Peek Display experience.

However, this discovery has left some users scratching their heads. Why does “AOD” show up in the search results at all? Is this an Easter egg for keen-eyed users? A developer oversight? Or could Motorola be preparing to roll out AOD to the Edge 50 Pro in the future, despite official statements to the contrary?

A plausible explanation is that the search functionality in Android settings indexes terms across all devices running the same software base. Since AOD is available on the Edge 50 Neo, the term might have been indexed for consistency. However, tapping the search result leads to a dead end because the feature isn’t supported on the Pro model.

Motorola’s handling of this situation raises questions. Are they inadvertently giving users false hope, or is this a sneak peek of what’s to come? Considering their firm stance on Peek Display, the former seems more likely. Still, the mere existence of AOD in the search bar might nudge Motorola to reconsider adding the feature in a software update — even if it’s a limited version that mimics traditional AOD.

Edge 50 Pro users are expressing mixed emotions. Some are frustrated by the inconsistency, while others are amused by the feature’s phantom presence. A few optimistic users are holding out hope that Motorola might surprise them with a future update.

While AOD’s phantom presence in the Motorola Edge 50 Pro settings might not lead to an actual feature, it’s a curious quirk that’s got users talking. Whether it’s a bug, a glimpse of future plans, or just a byproduct of shared software remains to be seen.