Some have found out that in Android Marshmallow's Developer Preview 3, the permissions for floating applications are disabled by default. This means that the user has to go to the specific settings menu to enable it.

Since the floating windows have been introduced to Android users this year, they became a trend. Many applications have also jumped on this floating trend, which means that users can have a part of their application drawn above other running applications. These floating windows range from browsers that load pages in the background to buttons that pop up to the user's attention. They permit the users to perform some quick action within some context, rather than switching back and forth between applications. The perfect example for this one is Facebook's Chat Heads user interface.

According to Android Police, floating applications have become Android's symbol for unique range and flexibility. There is no other mobile operating system that lets non-system applications to directly interact with the users and overtake the screen while another application is running. Thus, this capability gives the user a customizable and powerful experience.

However, this trend might change when the Android 6.0 Marshmallow starts to roll in by locking the floating applications down. Beginning with Developer Preview 3, applications targeting API 23 or above will have to ask users to grant permission for them to draw on top of other applications.  

The rumored system permission is named as "android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW". It is described as a way to open a window on top of other applications and warning developers that it is only intended for system-level activities.

Whatever the reason might Google hold for this change, users will be having hard time to reach the floating feature they were used to. Nevertheless, the search engine giant has not confirmed anything yet about the issue. Thus, all Android users and spectators should wait for its official announcement on this matter.