Android 16 is out — live notifications, smart camera and more

Just a day after Apple announced about updating their operating systems to WWDC 2025Google has released its own update to the mobile OS. This time, we’re going to get a pretty shaken up «toolkit» for the smartphone, which is bringing Android up to date with new user requirements step by step. There are some interesting innovations that really make life easier — or at least promise to do so.

What’s new in Android 16

One of the main changes is real-time update notifications, which will allow you to keep up with the progress of your favorite apps. Now, instead of opening the delivery app every 30 seconds and searching for your pizza on the map, you can simply look at the progress bar right in the notification.

Initially, this feature will support a few ride-sharing and delivery apps, which will be able to show the status with a small icon in the status bar. Clicking on it will expand a pop-up notification with a real-time progress bar. Google says it is working with Samsung and OnePlus to integrate this feature with Now Bar and Live Alerts, respectively.

In addition, notifications from the same app are now grouped automatically to avoid turning the curtain into a hell of 23 notifications in a row.

Accessibility has also been improved — Android 16 now has built-in support for hearing aids with LE Audio, where you can switch from your device’s microphone to your phone’s microphone with a single tap — especially useful in noisy places. You can also control the volume on your device from your phone using the new built-in controls.

And there’s more good news — security just got easier. All of Google’s security features are now unified under one «roof». That means — protection against fraudulent calls, malicious apps, suspicious websites, and all kinds of online attacks — everything can be activated with one touch. New algorithms have also been implemented that can better detect fraud.

Camera — another story. Android 16 adds automatic night scene detection, hybrid auto-exposure, and more accurate color temperature adjustment. UltraHDR is even better, with support for HEIC encoding, and — integration with Advanced Professional Video (APV) for those who shoot more serious stuff than cats.

There are also some nice things for the Android ecosystem. Group chats in RCS have become more convenient: you can set your own icons and turn off notifications by topic Google Photos got an AI editor that suggests how best to process a photo. Soon, the app will be able to offer editing tools such as erase, move, or «rethink» for parts of the image. Emoji Kitchen will offer new sticker combinations, and Wear OS watches can now pay for fares without any extra movements and without a separate app.

Although last month Google announced a new design language, Material 3 Expressive, it will not be released with Android 16. Instead, it will appear on Pixel phones later this year. Google doesn’t have a timeline for the final rollout of the more colorful version of Android, but developer documentation urges developers to start planning for the change.

For owners of Pixel devices, the OTA update should start rolling out soon. For those who can’t wait, Google will post system images and update files on its developer pages.

Source: engadget, arstechnica, techcrunch