What we know so far about upcoming features

Google switched issues up with Android 15 when it determined to decouple the platform replace from the Pixel 9 collection. That call gave each the software program and {hardware} their very own respiratory room and impartial timelines. The official steady Android 15 replace has been out for the Pixel lineup for some time now, so we now transfer on and see what Google is cooking up for Android 16, now at Android 16 Beta 4.1. Right here’s what we learn about Android 16, its confirmed options, and leaks on the options we anticipate to see within the upcoming replace in 2025.

Google used to call Android variations with dessert codenames, nevertheless it strayed away from that custom with the discharge of Android 10, selecting to stay with solely the model quantity for all future releases. Consequently, Android 16 can be identified merely as “Android 16,” with no dessert codename formally used.

Nevertheless, Google nonetheless makes use of the dessert codename internally. Android 16’s inner codename leaked just lately as Baklava. That is fascinating as a result of Android 15’s codename was Vanilla Ice Cream, so that you’d suppose Android 16 can be referred to as one thing that begins with a “W” (“Waffle” would have been a superb one). So why did Google soar from “V” all the best way again to “B?” It’s a bit sophisticated, nevertheless it primarily includes large modifications to Android’s backend.

“So, the updates for Materials Expressive are going to be obtainable on Pixel gadgets first later this yr, nevertheless it’s not going to be a part of the general public launch in June,” Huang stated.

A latest date leak additionally revealed that the Android 16 launch is about for June 3, so circle that date and preserve your Pixels charged!

Additional, Google has additionally talked about its intentions of releasing extra minor updates to the Android OS. For this, Google has deliberate a minor launch in This autumn 2024, i.e., for Android 16, presumably taking the form of Android 16 QPR2. This may be marketed as Android 16.1, however we’re undecided about that.

To that finish, Google has additionally launched Android 16 Developer Preview 1 and a couple of, adopted by Android 16 Beta 1, 2, 3, and 4 for supported Pixel gadgets, letting customers check out the brand new replace earlier than it launches. Different OEMs have additionally begun rolling out Android 16-based developer betas for choose gadgets.

Google has additionally launched the Android 16 launch timeline. Proper on schedule, Android 16 reached the Platform Stability milestone with its Beta 3 launch in March 2025, whereas the Beta 4 launch in April 2025 is its second Platform Stability launch.

This preponed timeline is a stark departure from Android’s historical past, as Google normally releases main variations of Android in Q3 or This autumn of every yr. However there was nothing forcing Google to observe this timeline — the corporate was merely following a launch cadence it had settled into over greater than a decade.

Android 16: Easter Egg

An Easter Egg is a message or characteristic that’s playfully hidden from customers. As a practice, Google has been sneaking in enjoyable Easter eggs into Android, starting from minigames to instruments that spotlight some functionality of that yr’s Android launch.

Android 16’s Easter Egg is basically much like Android 14 and Android 15’s Easter Eggs, all of that are a spaceship minigame that explores the vastness of house. You could find it in Settings > About cellphone, and faucet on the Android model repeatedly until you see the Android 16 brand floating in house. Press and maintain on this Android 16 brand to launch the spaceship minigame.

Nevertheless, Google might be including some new performance to Android 16’s Easter Egg. With Android 16 Beta 3, we noticed two modifications. It’s now doable to manually interact the autopilot system within the recreation when you find yourself taking part in it your self, with the brand new “AUTO” button within the backside right-hand nook. Beforehand, this solely engaged if you set the sport as your screensaver.

With the autopilot engaged, the Easter Egg now shows a progress-centric notification, which is a key a part of the brand new Stay Updates characteristic in Android 16. Google has confirmed Stay Updates as a key characteristic for Android 16 (we point out it later on this article), however Stay Updates itself is disabled within the Android 16 Beta 3 construct. We managed to activate the characteristic to indicate off the total extent of Android 16’s Easter Egg:

We hope to see the total Easter Egg launched with Android 16’s steady launch.

Stay updates

With Android 16, Google is introducing Stay Updates, a brand new class of notifications that helps customers monitor and entry essential ongoing actions. They assist forestall these vital progress-tracking use instances from being misplaced amongst different less-timely notifications, give them a distinguished dwelling on the lock display, and supply a extra constant consumer expertise.

Stay Updates appear and feel much like iOS’ Stay Actions characteristic. One level of distinction is that Google suggests Stay Updates for ride-sharing, meals supply, and navigation use instances since these Stay Updates’ notifications are handled with excessive precedence.

Android 16 Beta 1 solely introduces help for progress-centric notifications, a brand new notification model that reveals the progress of one thing like a rideshare pickup, a meals supply dropoff, or the space till the subsequent flip.

For example, in the event you place an Uber Eats order on an Android 16 cellphone, you’ll quickly get a glanceable Stay Replace to trace your supply progress. You possibly can view sure vital info while not having to drag down the notification.

While you do increase the notification by clicking on the Stay Replace chip within the standing bar, you will notice extra info alongside a progress tracker. This can allow you to get most of what you want with out re-opening the father or mother app.

Stay Updates additionally offers such high-priority notifications a constant look and expertise throughout the lock display and even the At all times On Show. This manner, you all the time have all that you have to know proper at your fingertips, while not having to dig by apps and different notification litter.

Stay Updates are at the moment restricted to supply, rideshare, and navigation apps. We’ve already proven you Stay Updates in Google Maps, and later this yr, you may anticipate to see them from different high gamers in these classes too.

Stay Updates are essential as these progress-centric notifications can be displayed extra prominently on the lock display. Google is engaged on a brand new compact notification shelf on the lock display for Android 16, and when that’s enabled, notifications are collapsed right into a shelf that you must faucet to increase. Progress-centric notifications, i.e., Stay Updates, doubtless gained’t be collapsed into this shelf together with different notifications.

Embedded photograph picker

With Android 16 Developer Preview 1, Google has added new APIs associated to the photograph picker. These new APIs enable app builders to have extra artistic management over how the photograph picker seems for the consumer. This can make it really feel just like the photograph picker is extra part of that app whereas nonetheless maintaining the identical safety and privateness safeguards.

With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google is including new APIs to allow looking from cloud media suppliers within the Android photograph picker. Search performance within the photograph picker is then stated to be “coming quickly.”

For reference, the photograph picker is the pop-up menu you see when importing media to an app. Years in the past, including media to an app would require that app to achieve entry to your total media library, which is clearly not nice. The photograph picker permits you to choose simply the images and movies you need to add, stopping the app from “seeing” something besides what you give it.

Well being data

With Android 16 Developer Preview 1, Google is updating Well being Hook up with help sure well being data. This can enable Well being Hook up with each learn and write Digital Well being Information (EHRs) within the Quick Healthcare Interoperability Sources (FHIR) customary, which is probably going the identical customary your physician, dentist, and different healthcare suppliers use.

Because of the delicate nature of this characteristic, although, Google is limiting it inside an early entry program, forcing builders to use for entry earlier than taking part in round with it.

With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google is including a brand new ACTIVITY_INTENSITY datatype, which is outlined in line with WHO pointers for average and vigorous exercise. Every report requires the beginning time, the top time, and whether or not the exercise depth is average or vigorous.

Higher Adaptive Refresh Charge (ARR) help

Adaptive Refresh Charge (ARR) was launched in Android 15, and it went stay for the Pixel 9 collection with the Android 15 QPR1 launch. It permits the show refresh price on supported {hardware} to adapt to the content material body price utilizing discrete VSync steps. This reduces energy consumption whereas eliminating the necessity for probably jank-inducing mode switching.

With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google is including new APIs to make it simpler for app builders to benefit from ARR, so you may anticipate higher help for the characteristic in future app releases.

Android 16 is phasing out the power for apps to limit display orientation and resizability on large-screen gadgets like tablets, foldables, and past. Google notes that this characteristic is much like options that OEMs have added on such gadgets, permitting customers to run apps at any window measurement and side ratio. With Android 16, APIs and manifest attributes that prohibit orientation and resizing can be ignored for apps (however not video games) on large-screen gadgets.

Android 16 permits app builders to choose out of this transformation, however the Android launch in 2026 (i.e., Android 17) will make this transformation necessary. So, app builders ought to begin engaged on making their apps adapt to completely different display sizes and side ratios.

APV codec help

Android 16 Beta 1 provides help for the APV 422-10 Profile, which gives YUV422 shade sampling, 10-bit encoding, and goal bitrates of as much as 2Gbps.

Superior Skilled Video (APV) codec is a brand new “skilled” video codec that goals to offer “perceptually lossless video high quality” whereas utilizing 20% much less storage than the present “typical skilled video codec” codecs.

Google mentions that the APV codec has the next options:

• Perceptually lossless video high quality (near uncooked video high quality)
• Low complexity and excessive throughput intra-frame-only coding (with out pixel area prediction) to higher help enhancing workflows
• Help for prime bitrate vary up to some Gbps for 2K, 4K, and 8K decision content material, enabled by a light-weight entropy coding scheme
• Body tiling for immersive content material and for enabling parallel encoding and decoding
• Help for numerous chroma sampling codecs and bit-depths
• Help for a number of decoding and re-encoding with out extreme visible high quality degradation
• Help multi-view video and auxiliary video like depth, alpha, and preview
• Help for HDR10/10+ and user-defined metadata

Ranging with enhanced safety

With Android 16, Google is including help for strong security measures in Wi-Fi location on supported gadgets with Wi-Fi 6’s 802.11az. Due to this, apps can now mix the protocol’s larger accuracy, higher scalability, and dynamic scheduling with safety enhancements, together with AES-256-based encryption and safety towards MITM assaults.  This permits it for use extra safely in proximity use instances, akin to unlocking a laptop computer or a automobile door.

Predictive again upgrades

Android 16 Developer Preview 2 provides new APIs to assist app builders allow predictive again system animations in gesture navigation, such because the back-to-home animation.

Earlier within the yr, we noticed Google engaged on bringing predictive again help to three-button navigation in Android 16. With Android 16 Beta 1, Google is certainly doing so for apps which have appropriately carried out predictive again. With three-button navigation, long-pressing the again button will provoke a predictive again animation, giving customers a preview of the place the again button takes them. This habits applies throughout all areas of the system that help predictive again animations, together with the system animations).

Privateness Sandbox on Android

Android 16 Developer Preview 1 incorporates the newest model of the Privateness Sandbox on Android.

WritingTools API to let apps block AI writing instruments

Android 16 Developer Preview 2’s documentation features a new Writing Instruments API that seemingly lets apps out of getting AI rewrite textual content for you. The documentation notes that “toolkits can optionally disable (AI writing instruments) the place not related, e.g., passwords, quantity enter, and many others.”

The logic behind this new Writing Instruments API can be to permit app builders to disable AI writing instruments the place it doesn’t make sense to have them. It is going to be as much as the keyboard app to respect the brand new API. Even when each the apps play good with one another, a consumer may all the time simply generate textual content in one other app after which insert it into the textual content subject the place it was presupposed to be blocked.

Generic ranging APIs

Android 16 Beta 1 contains the brand new RangingManager, which gives methods to find out the space and angle of supported {hardware} between the native machine and a distant machine. RangingManager helps quite a lot of ranging applied sciences, akin to BLE channel sounding, BLE RSSI-based ranging, Extremely-Wideband, and Wi-Fi round-trip time.

This could theoretically result in higher machine tracker help within the OS, as your Android machine will quickly be capable to pinpoint the tracker’s distance and angle.

Evening Mode Digital camera extension API

Google had already talked about that it might introduce a brand new Evening Mode Indicator API in Android 16, and with Beta 1, it’s right here. This API helps apps routinely alter to low-light environments when capturing photographs or recording movies.

Vertical Textual content help

Android 16 Beta 1 provides low-level help for rendering and measuring textual content vertically to offer foundational vertical writing help for library builders. That is significantly helpful for languages like Japanese, which generally use vertical writing techniques.

Gemini Extensions

That is curiously talked about within the launch announcement for Android 16 Beta 1, nevertheless it’s not part of Android 16 Beta 1 immediately. Google highlights that Samsung simply launched new Gemini Extensions on the Galaxy S25 collection, exhibiting off the brand new ways in which Android apps can combine with the facility of Gemini. These Gemini extensions are just about the “app capabilities” characteristic that we noticed lengthy earlier than the official announcement.

Google says it’s working to make this performance obtainable to extra apps with extra OEMs on extra gadgets throughout extra type components. Nevertheless, the corporate stops wanting offering extra particulars, technical or in any other case, within the announcement. So, we’ll need to dig in to see what modifications are coming.

We predicted that Android 16 would allow you to set your most well-liked measurement system and area impartial of the system language. With Android 16 Beta 2, Google has introduced that you would be able to set your most well-liked measurement system in System > Languages & area. We’re but to listen to extra on the regional preferences characteristic, although.

Digital camera updates: Hybrid auto-exposure, exact shade temperature and tint changes

With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is including new hybrid auto-exposure modes to the Camera2 API. This can enable third-party apps to manually management particular facets of publicity whereas letting the auto-exposure (AE) algorithm deal with the remainder. With that, apps can enable customers to regulate ISO and AE or publicity time and AE, offering higher flexibility in comparison with the present strategy, the place you both have full handbook management or rely solely on auto-exposure.

Android 16 Beta 2 can also be including digicam help for tremendous shade temperature and tint changes to higher help skilled video recording apps.

Media replace: Movement photograph seize, Extremely HDR picture enhancements

Android 16 Beta 2 can also be including a regular Intent motion for capturing and displaying Movement Images.

It additionally provides help for Extremely HDR photographs within the HEIC file format, along with the present JPEG format. Google says additionally it is engaged on AVIF help for Extremely HDR.

Android 16 Beta 2 additionally provides further parameters to Extremely HDR, together with the power to get and set the colorspace by which achieve map math needs to be utilized and help for HDR-encoded base photographs with SDR achieve maps.

Mandating edge-to-edge apps

With Android 15, Google revealed that apps would show content material edge-to-edge by default. Nevertheless, to assist builders with the transition, Google added an API to permit apps to choose out of this transformation.

With Android 16 Beta 2, this transitionary API has been deprecated. Apps that focus on the newest Android model must show app content material edge-to-edge, and there’s now not any means for apps to choose out.

Superior Safety Mode

Google already has an Superior Safety Program, which, when enrolled in, forces customers to make use of a safety key or passkey to signal into their Google account, prevents downloading recordsdata that Google Chrome marks as dangerous, and blocks unapproved (by Google) apps from accessing their Google account information. In your Android machine, Google Play Shield will keep enabled, will block you from putting in apps from exterior the Google Play Retailer or different preinstalled apps, and can even warn you about apps on the Play Retailer that haven’t been accredited by Google. This system targets customers at an elevated threat of getting hacked, like IT admins, journalists, activists, enterprise executives, and politicians.

With Android 16, Google is integrating the Superior Safety Program into Android with the brand new Superior Safety Mode. The mode is a one-click answer that may bolster the safety of telephones working Android 16. When enabled, it toggles numerous security measures inside the OS and first-party Google apps to guard towards threats from malicious third-party apps, exterior attackers, and dangerous web sites.

There’s additionally an Superior Safety API, which permits third-party apps to examine if the mode is lively and allow their very own safety measures, additional enhancing your safety when utilizing them.

You need to have an Android cellphone or pill working Android 16 to allow Superior Safety. Then, open the Settings app, discover Google settings, and search for the Superior Safety web page below the Private & machine security class, as proven under. Lastly, toggle “machine safety” to allow the Superior Safety mode in your Android machine. You may also faucet “account safety” to open the enrollment web page for Google’s Superior Safety Program, which you must enroll in if you wish to safeguard your Google account.

Here’s a listing of each safety characteristic that Superior Safety permits in Android 16:

• Safety Investigation:
• System Security:
• Apps:
• Networks:
  • 2G Community Safety
  • Disable Auto-Reconnect to Insecure Networks
• Internet:
  • Android Protected Shopping
  • Chrome Shopping
  • Javascript Protections
• Telephone by Google:
  • Caller ID & Spam
  • Automated Name Display screen
  • Rip-off Detection for Telephone by Google
• Google Messages:
  • Spam & Rip-off Safety
  • Unsafe Hyperlinks

You possibly can learn extra about these in our Android Superior Safety deep dive article.

Routinely hiding delicate notifications from lock display

Android 15 added a characteristic the place the OS blocks untrusted apps from studying delicate notifications with two-factor authentication codes, even when the app has permission to learn all notifications. Android 16 extends this characteristic by redacting the notifications earlier than displaying them on the lock display. This redaction will solely happen in “larger threat situations,” akin to when a consumer’s machine isn’t linked to Wi-Fi and has not been just lately unlocked.

Android 16 DP1 now not shows the contents of notifications that Android System Intelligence deems to be “delicate.” Thus far, we’ve noticed this to be the case for notifications with OTP codes in them, nevertheless it’s doable that different sorts of content material may set off this habits.

Android 16 routinely hides the content material of those delicate notifications even in the event you allow the “delicate notifications” choice below Settings > Notifications > Delicate notifications. That choice, when disabled, hides the title and abstract of all notifications on the lock display, although you may nonetheless see what apps have posted notifications. A separate choice on the identical web page named notifications on lock display helps you to management whether or not to cover all notifications solely, solely disguise dialog notifications, or to indicate all notification content material.

By routinely redacting delicate notifications with OTP codes, Android 16 protects you from by chance leaking that info, no matter your lock display notification decisions.

Anti-scammer safeguards throughout cellphone calls

With Android 16, Google has launched new anti-scammer safeguards, particularly throughout cellphone calls. Android 16 will detect when a cellphone name is lively and stop the consumer from enabling the sideloading permission. This might forestall scammers from making an attempt to stroll their victims by sideloading malware apps.

Android 16 additionally blocks the enabling of sure delicate permissions, akin to accessibility entry, throughout lively cellphone calls. Granting accessibility entry permits an app to learn the display and carry out actions in your behalf — a robust mixture that would give malicious software program full management of your machine.

Ambient quantity controls for Bluetooth LE Audio listening to aids

In documentation launched alongside Android 16 Beta 1, we’ve noticed that the platform has added the power for customers of Bluetooth LE Audio listening to aids to “alter the quantity of ambient sound that’s picked up by the listening to help’s microphones.” This can be useful in locations the place background noise is both too loud or too quiet.

Android 16 additionally provides the power for customers of LE Audio listening to aids to “change between the built-in microphones on the listening to aids and the microphone on their cellphone for voice calls.” Google says this may be useful in noisy environments or in different conditions the place the listening to help’s microphone might not carry out nicely.

Auracast Broadcast audio help

With Android 16 Beta 3, Google formally helps Auracast broadcast audio with suitable LE Audio listening to aids on Pixel 9 gadgets. Auracast permits suitable listening to aids and earbuds to obtain direct audio streams from public venues like airports, live shows, and lecture rooms. The setting is hidden, however you may allow it with a Developer Choices toggle.

With this, Google can also be not directly confirming that the Bluetooth Audio Sharing characteristic that went stay in Android 16 DP1 can be a part of the upcoming Android 16 launch. As soon as you put in the Android 16 DP1 replace on a Pixel 9 machine, you will discover the audio sharing characteristic below Settings > Linked gadgets > Audio sharing.

With Android 16 Beta 3, Google is introducing define textual content, which replaces high-contrast textual content by drawing bigger contrasting areas round textual content to tremendously enhance legibility.

Google introduced in March 2025 that Vulkan is the official graphics API for Android. Android already supported Vulkan graphics API since Android 7.0 Nougat in 2016, however solely a small share of lively gadgets supported it again then. The scenario is now considerably completely different, therefore the change.

In response to Google, this transformation permits builders so as to add extra immersive visuals to their video games. Vulkan permits builders to capitalize on the efficiency of contemporary smartphone GPUs to unlock options like ray tracing in video games or multithreading.

What does it really imply for Android to make Vulkan its official graphics API, although? Basically, Google goals to determine Vulkan because the GPU {hardware} abstraction layer (HAL) for Android, requiring all apps and video games using the cellphone’s GPU to take action by Vulkan. This contains: recreation engines, middleware, and layered APIs like Android’s HWUI, Skia, WebGPU, and ANGLE.

Beginning with Android 16, Google says that “extra gadgets will use Vulkan to course of all graphics instructions.” Particularly, Android 16 would require some newer gadgets to make use of ANGLE for some purposes (that means, solely purposes on an accredited listing will use ANGLE).

Additional, Google launched Vulkan Profiles for Android (VPA) final yr to enhance consistency in Vulkan characteristic availability throughout Android gadgets. VPA defines a set of Vulkan options that GPUs should help to move Google’s certification testing for a given Android launch.

VPA 16, aimed toward next-generation chipsets launching with help for Android 16, would require help for Host Picture Copy, a characteristic that’s a part of the core Vulkan 1.4 specification that one Google engineer calls a “recreation changer for video games on Android.” This characteristic permits video games to repeat picture information, akin to textures, utilizing the machine’s CPU as a substitute of the GPU. Host Picture Copy will show significantly helpful for Android video games, because it permits quicker app masses, reduces stutter, and lowers GPU reminiscence utilization.

iOS-like App Settings with SettingsPreferenceService API

Android 16 provides a brand new API that lets apps combine their very own settings with the Android Settings app, much like what we already see on iOS, albeit it’s not extensively adopted there, both, exterior of Apple’s personal apps. If this API turns into broadly adopted on Android by third-party apps, it may rework Android Settings right into a one-stop store for each machine and app settings.

In-process software program audio codecs

Android 16 provides help for in-process software program audio codecs, a characteristic that permits media codecs to run inside an app’s course of as a substitute of inside the common sandboxed media codec course of. The in-process operation, although probably dangerous, is deemed secure as a result of the codec’s software program implementation is written in a memory-safe language like Rust.

Whereas Android 16 helps this characteristic, it’s not in use but, because the respective distributors might want to rewrite the media codecs in Rust. Thus, whereas Android 16’s new in-process software program audio codecs characteristic ought to theoretically deliver higher efficiency and battery life when taking part in again media, it’s doubtless we gained’t see these advantages for fairly a while.

Cloud compilation for app installs

Android 16 now helps cloud compilation, a brand new characteristic that would pace up new app installs. The objective of cloud compilation can be to keep away from working the dex2oat software throughout app installations by offloading compilation to the cloud.

Id examine coming to extra telephones

With the upcoming Android 16 replace, extra Android telephones can be having access to Android’s Id Examine characteristic.
At the moment, solely Pixel and Samsung telephones have this characteristic, because it requires modifications to an underlying biometric immediate code. Since that is a part of a non-updatable OS part, the characteristic requires an OS replace to reach on extra gadgets.

Standardized image and audio high quality framework for TVs

Android 16 gives a set of standardized APIs for entry to audio and film profiles and hardware-related settings on TVs. This permits streaming apps to question profiles and apply them to media dynamically. For instance:

• Motion pictures mastered with a wider dynamic vary require higher shade accuracy to see refined particulars in shadows and alter to ambient mild, so a profile that prefers shade accuracy over brightness could also be applicable.
• Stay sporting occasions are sometimes mastered with a slim dynamic vary however are normally watched in daylight, so a profile that preferences brightness over shade accuracy can provide higher outcomes.
• Totally interactive content material desires minimal processing to scale back latency and needs larger body charges, which is why many TVs ship with a recreation profile.

The API permits apps to change between these profiles, thus letting customers take pleasure in the advantages of tuning supported TVs to match the content material.

Google has shared some particulars about Android 16 by its official bulletins, however we’ve noticed a ton of modifications in Google’s QPR updates that assist paint a extra full image of the modifications we will anticipate to see within the closing Android 16 launch.

Google’s QPR updates and what they inform us about future Android releases

The Android platform follows an annual launch schedule, which OEMs and the world at giant have entry to. Google additionally follows a second public launch schedule for its Pixel gadgets within the type of QPR updates. QPR refers to Quarterly Platform Launch, which is an replace observe the place updates are launched as soon as each three months (quarter). So, we usually get an annual Android platform replace on Pixels, adopted by three QPR releases, after which the subsequent annual Android platform replace.

Whereas the options included within the Android platform replace are closing and obtainable to the world, options launched within the QPR updates can be found to Pixel gadgets till the subsequent Android platform replace incorporates them. Additional, Google additionally runs a separate beta program for the QPRs months upfront.

This provides us conditions the place we will check out new options coming to Android 16 (by checking them out in Android 15 QPR1 betas) earlier than the steady Android 16 replace is even launched! Later QPR betas give us much more options that may be chalked as much as the subsequent platform launch.

Because of this, we’ve got a listing of options which might be coming to imminent Android 15 QPR releases for Pixel gadgets, that are additionally prone to be added to the subsequent Android platform replace, Android 16. Let’s examine them out!

Native Community Safety

Android 16 Beta 3 formally provides the power to check the upcoming Native Community Safety characteristic, which Google says is deliberate for a future Android main launch.

Basically, any app with the “INTERNET” permission can talk with the Web worldwide and with gadgets on the consumer’s native community. Native Community Safety will ultimately require apps to request particular permission to entry the native community. With Android 16 Beta 3, Google is giving app builders an opportunity to check if their apps are affected by this upcoming change.

Intrusion Logging

Google introduced Intrusion Logging as a brand new characteristic in Android 16 that may assist customers detect if their machine has been compromised. Intrusion Logging collects “exercise logs” which embody particulars akin to USB connection occasions, community data like searching historical past, app installs, Bluetooth connections, lock display data, and Wi-Fi connections. Your exercise logs are encrypted utilizing your Google account password and machine lock display, making certain solely you may view them. These logs are saved in a “non-public and encrypted Google Drive,” offering additional safety towards unauthorized entry.

Whereas the API is already obtainable in Android 16, Google hasn’t but built-in Intrusion Logging into Google Play Companies. Consequently, the characteristic will roll out later within the yr, probably as a part of an Android 16 QPR reasonably than with the launch of Android 16.

Enhancements to Manufacturing facility Reset Safety

At The Android Present: I/O Version, Google introduced that Android’s current Manufacturing facility Reset Safety mechanisms will develop into much more highly effective later within the yr. Whereas Android already has a number of mechanisms to discourage bypassing the setup display after triggering a manufacturing facility reset, these new protections will prohibit all functionalities on gadgets which might be reset with out the proprietor’s authorization.

Android will doubtless detect if somebody bypassed the setup wizard (to bypass earlier manufacturing facility reset safety mechanisms), and can thus pressure one other manufacturing facility reset cyclically, stopping unauthorized use till the consumer proves possession.

Since these upgrades are coming later within the yr, they won’t be a part of the primary steady launch of Android 16. As a substitute, we anticipate this replace to come back with the Android 16 QPR1 replace.

Materials 3 Expressive

Google has formally introduced Materials 3 Expressive as the subsequent evolution of Materials Design. This UX replace is about to reach with Android 16, however not the primary steady launch. As a substitute, it is going to include Android 16 QPR1 to Pixels, that means most non-Pixels will get entry to this with Android 17, albeit particular person apps may have their very own redesign on Android 16.

“So, the updates for Materials Expressive are going to be obtainable on Pixel gadgets first later this yr, nevertheless it’s not going to be a part of the general public launch in June,” confirmed Allen Huang, Google’s Director of Product Administration for Pixel and Android system UI.

This sweeping UI replace is a major step in Google’s ongoing effort to make Android and Put on OS extra visually participating, emotionally resonant, and interactive. A few of its highlights embody:

• Springier, natural-feeling animations that improve contact interactions
• New icon shapes and refreshed typography
• Background blur results for depth and focus
• Up to date shade themes
• House display and Fast Settings enhancements for a extra dynamic format
• Visible redesigns for a lot of Google apps, bringing them in step with the brand new expressive aesthetic

You possibly can be taught extra about Materials 3 Expressive in our deep dive article.

This variation is so large that it deserves its personal part. With the above-mentioned Materials 3 Expressive modifications, Google can also be planning a giant UI overhaul for Android and expressive animations to accompany it. These modifications had been noticed and activated inside Android 16 Beta 4, however they’re unlikely to be obtainable with the Android 16 steady launch. As a substitute, they may include a future QPR launch or Android 17 and past.

As a part of the UI overhaul, we anticipate modifications throughout a number of essential areas, like standing bar icons, clock font, mixed notifications, Fast Settings panel, cleaner lock display with collapsed notifications, and a lot extra. The modifications are fairly voluminous to listing right here, so do try our unique protection for the entire scoop.

Desktop windowing

We’ve talked about desktop windowing earlier than as a leak, however Google formally launched the characteristic in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 for the Pixel Pill. Google’s announcement doesn’t point out the discharge timeline, however we anticipate to see the characteristic within the wider Android 16 launch.

Desktop windowing permits customers to run a number of apps concurrently and resize app home windows, similar to we’re used to doing on typical desktops.

Google has fastened the taskbar’s place to the underside of the display. It will possibly now present working apps and apps pinned by the consumer. There’s additionally a brand new header bar, which homes window controls.

Along with the introduced characteristic, there’s a brand new hidden toggle known as Allow desktop mode on secondary show, which replaces the outdated Power desktop mode toggle.

The header bar now has a decrease button, which we noticed and activated in Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 and subsequently turned obtainable for all with Android 16 Beta 3. Tapping the decrease button minimizes a window.

When an app’s window is minimized, it may be reopened by tapping the app’s icon within the taskbar.

Much like typical desktop platforms, the bar beneath the app’s icon turns grey and shrinks when an app is minimized. When each app window is minimized, Android exits desktop windowing mode.

Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 launch has additionally launched an “app-to-web” characteristic for desktop windowing.

For choose apps like Google Images, an “open in browser” choice will seem within the dropdown menu. Tapping this opens the web site related to the app. You may also faucet the settings cog to decide on whether or not to open internet hyperlinks within the app or in your browser.

With Android 16 Beta 3, Google added the power to place apps like YouTube into picture-in-picture mode and the power to tug a Chrome tab to open it in its personal window.

Battery Well being web page

Google has added a brand new battery well being display to Android 16 Beta 3. This display makes an attempt to quantify precisely how good your cellphone’s battery well being is.

It not solely shows your estimated battery capability as a share of what a brand new battery to your cellphone is able to, it additionally surfaces some actionable insights that can assist you get probably the most out of it.

Redesigned Settings homepage with Expressive Settings

Android 15 Beta 3 included clues for a redesigned Settings homepage, however the modifications didn’t go stay in later betas. The brand new settings format did go stay in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, indicating that it’s probably on observe for an Android 16 launch.

On the left is an instance of how the top-level web page appears on Android 14 and the proper picture reveals the brand new format in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.

This Expressive Design for the Settings app options newer Materials You switches with an X or checkmark icon within the deal with. Every merchandise in Settings can be positioned in separate, visually distinct playing cards. Small arrow icons will point out when an merchandise in Settings has a subpage. Lastly, most pages will show the header on the very high, permitting for extra objects to be proven at first look.

With Android 16 Beta 4, the Expressive Design for the Settings app gained colourful new icons for every entry, as you may see within the photographs under:

This Expressive Settings will stay alongside the principle Settings homepage redesign, as that continues to be unchanged. Additional, Expressive Settings are unlikely to roll out to the principle Android 16 launch, however will doubtless make it to future Android 16 QPR releases and even Android 17.

Redesigned quantity slider and quantity panel

We managed to activate a brand new quantity panel UI in Android 16 Developer Preview 2. This quantity panel ditches the thick, pill-shaped sliders in favor of thinner, steady sliders with handles.

Google can also be working to replace the quantity slider to match this new design. As you may see under, the quantity slider in Android 16 can be much less rounded and may have a skinny rectangular deal with. The icon indicating the present quantity stream that’s being managed will sit on the backside of the slider as a substitute of on the high. The three dots on the backside, which open the total quantity panel, are barely smaller within the new design.

Whereas the quantity mode icon on the high has remained the identical, the mode selector has been tweaked to indicate different modes in discrete rounded rectangles.

It’s doable that Google is merely testing this design and will abandon it sooner or later. So we must see if it makes it to the steady model of Android 16.

New standing bar icons

With Android 16 Beta 3, we noticed some modifications to standing bar icons as a carryover work from modifications that had been noticed earlier than Android 15 however by no means made it to launch. Now within the new standing bar icons, the Wi-Fi sign power icon shows three segments as a substitute of 5.

Extra considerably, although, the battery stage icon reveals a dynamic shade scheme relying on the battery standing.

When the battery is ample and never charging, the background shade is strong white. When the battery is low and never charging, the background shade turns purple. Lastly, when the machine is charging, the background shade turns vivid inexperienced. The battery stage share can also be bolder, and the icon can also be flipped.

There’s no assure Google will roll out these new icons. In the event that they do, it’s unlikely they’ll seem within the steady Android 16 launch. As a substitute, they may seem in a quarterly Android 16 launch or in subsequent yr’s Android 17 replace.

Power darkish mode

Regardless of darkish themes in apps gaining recognition when the characteristic was launched, many apps haven’t bothered implementing one. We noticed a “make all apps darkish” characteristic again in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 that pressured each app to go darkish, even when the app didn’t have its personal darkish theme. The characteristic didn’t go stay within the subsequent steady Android 15 launch, although.

In Android 16 Beta 1, the characteristic continues to indicate indicators of improvement.

It’s now renamed “make extra apps darkish” and is a hidden setting in Settings > Show & contact > Darkish theme. The characteristic’s description says that it “routinely convert(s) light-themed apps to darkish theme.”

New emojis from Unicode 16.0

Android 16 Developer Preview 2 contains an up to date emoji font file with seven new emojis which might be part of Unicode 16.0:

• Face with Luggage Beneath Eyes
• Fingerprint
• Leafless Tree
• Root Vegetable
• Harp
• Shovel
• Splatter

HDR screenshots

With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is lastly implementing help for true HDR screenshots. Screenshots of HDR content material can be saved in HDR format, specifically as PNG recordsdata with HDR gainmaps embedded in them. Viewing these screenshots will brighten the display to permit the HDR highlights to pop. These gainmaps enable the screenshots to look as HDR when seen on Android 16 gadgets however as SDR on different gadgets.

With Android 16 Beta 4, Google fastened the duplicate navigation deal with that appeared when the tiny taskbar was enabled. Google additionally upgraded the tiny taskbar’s multitasking by including a button that opens a carousel exhibiting the six most just lately opened apps.

Curiously, this latest apps carousel isn’t obtainable on pill’s taskbar. Regardless of the progress within the characteristic’s performance, it’s not prepared for prime time but, and should arrive in future Android releases.

“Even dimmer” show brightness

Google has been testing an “even dimmer” show brightness choice for Android. Because the title suggests, this setting toggle would enable your cellphone’s show to go dimmer than common. This characteristic may work alongside adaptive brightness, going even dimmer than common when the ambient lighting is tremendous low however routinely returning to regular brightness when the ambient lighting is excessive.

The important thing distinction between Android 12’s Additional Dim accessibility characteristic and the upcoming Even Dimmer characteristic is that Even Dimmer is supposed to be toggled and forgotten because the adaptive brightness will deal with the dimming, whereas Additional Dim is a handbook toggle for going decrease in brightness. As a result of Even Dimmer mainly accomplishes the identical factor as Additional Dim, the latter characteristic will disappear when the previous rolls out. Android will even take away the Additional Dim shortcut from the Fast Settings panel to get you emigrate to the brand new characteristic.

Usually, the brightness bar’s lowest worth units your machine’s display to the bottom brightness stage allowed by its {hardware}, however with Even Dimmer enabled, the OS will apply a further dimming layer when the brightness bar is at its lowest worth. Disabling Even Dimmer simply requires you to slip the brightness bar to the proper, which you in all probability do a number of instances a day already, making it more likely you gained’t by chance preserve it enabled. Not like Additional Dim, you gained’t have to recollect to show Even Dimmer on if you’re at midnight or flip it off when it’s now not darkish round you — in any other case, your cellphone’s display can be dimmer than it needs to be in the course of the day.

Wealthy Ongoing Notifications

As we discovered from clues inside Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, Android 16 may introduce Wealthy Ongoing Notifications, a brand new API that lets apps present extra than simply an icon within the standing bar. The API will let apps create chips with their very own textual content and background shade that stay within the standing bar, kind of like the brand new display recording chips (talked about within the later components of this text). It’s doubtless that tapping these chips will open some kind of dialog offered by the app that reveals extra details about the continuing notification.

For instance, right here’s a gallery that reveals what the Wealthy Ongoing Notifications API might be used for in Android 16, utilizing mock notifications for numerous apps like Uber, the United Airways app, and the Clock.

The characteristic seems impressed by iOS’s Dynamic Island, nevertheless it predates the characteristic. Android 12 added an API that lets dialer apps present the period of an ongoing name in a standing bar chip a full yr earlier than Apple launched its Dynamic Island characteristic. Android 16 opening up standing bar chips to all apps can be a significant growth of the characteristic.

Bundled notifications

In Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2, we managed to activate a hidden web page for Bundled notifications, which is current at Settings > Notifications.

The outline on the web page says that “notifications with comparable themes can be silenced and grouped collectively for a quieter expertise. Bundling will override an app’s personal notification settings.” The bundled notifications characteristic will doubtless be powered by the Android System Intelligence app below the hood, which already processes notifications to cover delicate content material from the lock display and from untrusted notification listeners.

Blocking outdated notifications

Individuals who personal and use a number of Android gadgets can relate to the notification flood that arrives at any time when they boot up the much less continuously used machine. Proper at boot, after the machine establishes its web connection, you’ll obtain all notifications that weren’t delivered to this machine, even you probably have checked out the notifications out of your different machine.

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 modified the best way Android handles these older notifications. The system now rejects notifications which might be greater than two weeks outdated. These older notifications will solely present some particulars to let which apps or contacts to investigate cross-check, however they’ll now not provide you with a warning with a sound or vibration, and even present the total notification contents.

Compact heads-up notifications

If you’re bothered by simply how giant the heads-up notifications might be when watching full-screen content material, then Google is engaged on an answer. We noticed clues for compact heads-up notifications in Android 15 Beta 4, and the characteristic turned extra extensively obtainable with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.

You possibly can see the compact format within the second set of notifications under.

A lot of the textual content within the notification is truncated, and any embedded photographs are hidden by default till you faucet the dropdown arrow to increase them. Nevertheless, the notification icon, notification title, and reply button are nonetheless proven for messaging apps like Telegram.

Semi-transparent notifications

We noticed Google engaged on a brand new semi-transparent notifications characteristic in Android 16 Beta 3 and managed to activate it. Particularly, heads-up notifications and notifications proven on the lock display had been now semi-transparent, whereas notifications within the notifications panel had been unchanged.

On condition that these semi-transparent notifications make content material tougher to learn because of the decrease distinction, there’s a low likelihood that Google will really roll out the design in any future launch of Android, not to mention Android 16. Nevertheless, Google may select so as to add some transparency to different areas of the UX.

Notification cooldown

Android 15 Developer Preview 1 included a characteristic known as Notification cooldown, positioned at Settings > Notifications > Notification cooldown. When enabled, this characteristic would step by step decrease the quantity of successive notifications coming from the identical app. The characteristic prevents your cellphone from going off wildly if you obtain numerous notifications in a short time.

In comparison with the earlier iteration of the notification cooldown characteristic, the model that’s stay in Android 16 DP1 solely helps you to toggle it on or off. Up to now, you may select to use a cooldown to all notifications or solely dialog notifications. With this transformation, notifications out of your most essential contacts gained’t be silenced by the characteristic, so that you gained’t miss any essential messages.

Notification abstract

We’ve discovered strings inside Android 16 Beta 3 that trace at a brand new “notification summaries” web page. This “notification summaries” web page can be positioned between the present notification historical past and the upcoming notification bundle choices below Settings > Notifications. The brand new web page may have a single toggle to allow the characteristic, labeled “use notification summaries.”

The characteristic’s description states that it’ll “routinely summarize dialog notifications from apps.” Solely messaging apps appropriately categorize their notifications as dialog notifications, so solely these can be AI summarized. The system will even allow you to exclude apps from having their notifications summarized.

It’s not clear when the characteristic will arrive on Android. It may not make it to the steady Android 16 launch, however come by on an Android 16 QPR launch and even on Android 17.

Gemini-powered Notification “Magic Actions”

In 2018, Android 9 launched Sensible Reply, which gives urged replies as tappable chips beneath a notification for fast responses. Android 10 expanded this with Sensible Actions, providing contextual actions primarily based on notification content material. This Sensible Actions characteristic powers the “Open Maps” chip when a notification contains an tackle. Sensible Replies and Sensible Actions are powered by on-device machine studying fashions, however are restricted to quick, canned replies that may not totally recognize the context.

We’ve noticed proof with Android 16 that implies Google is growing a extra superior model of Sensible Actions, dubbed “Magic Actions.” When the Magic Motion characteristic is enabled, Android will disguise Sensible Actions and as a substitute prominently show a brand new Magic Motion button. This button is slated to obtain “particular visible remedy,” probably indicating a customized animation when it seems or is tapped. Speculatively, the characteristic may faucet into Google’s Gemini mannequin to generate extra personalised and highly effective actions.

Beginning with the modifications, the brand new chips for display recording and screencasting gives you a timer proper within the standing bar.

They will even allow you to cease the display recording or screencasting session while not having to drag down the standing bar. Tapping on the chip will open a dialog that may allow you to cease the session.

There’s additionally a distinct icon now to point when a third-party app requests to report or solid the display. The dialog extra prominently asks you whether or not you need to “share your display” reasonably than “begin recording or casting.”

The expertise is pretty purposeful, so we’re hoping to see it go stay for the large platform with Android 16.

Fast Settings modifications: Twin shade design, Classes, Resizing, and extra

Fast Settings is in for an overhaul with Android 16. Beginning off, Google is testing a brand new twin shade design for Android 16 that separates the Fast Settings panels from the notification shade, which we managed to activate in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.

Flattening the standing bar as soon as nonetheless brings down the notifications panel like earlier than, however the panel now takes up a few quarter of the display reasonably than your complete factor. When you can’t see any Fast Settings tiles anymore within the new notifications dropdown, you may see the app that’s beneath the panel.

Flattening the standing bar a second time now not brings down the Fast Settings panel. As a substitute, the Fast Settings panel is accessed by knocking down the standing bar with two fingers.

After pulling the Fast Settings panel down, you may swipe left or proper between pages to see all of your tiles. The brightness bar nonetheless seems on the high, however now has a textual content label and reveals the brightness stage as you alter it, much like the brand new quantity sliders in Android 15. Most Fast Settings tiles have been made smaller so extra of them can match on one web page, which is a welcome change.

Right here’s a video that demonstrates the brand new notification and Fast Settings panels described above:

Flexiglass is the inner codename for the rearchitecting that Google is doing to SystemUI to make it extra steady.

With Android 16 Beta 3, we managed to activate the dual-page panel UI to present you a brisker demo of it:

This construct fixes a number of deficiencies current in earlier builds. For example, the media participant is prominently current on the high. There are additionally two new methods to change between the Notifications and Fast Settings panels. First, you may merely faucet the chips on the high left and proper to open the respective panels. Second, swiping down on the left aspect opens the notifications panel, whereas swiping down on the proper opens the Fast Settings panel.

Google additionally made the Fast Settings panel vertically scrolling, permitting you to replenish your complete display with tiles. It additionally added clear plus and minus buttons to every tile within the edit menu, making it simpler so as to add or take away tiles from the panel.

Additional, you’ll discover that the clock is far bigger within the new beta. This clock additionally follows the identical model that’s set for the lock display clock, altering as you modify it.

With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, we noticed different modifications. When the in-development Fast Settings panel is enabled, the Fast Settings tiles develop into resizable. You possibly can faucet on any tile whereas within the editor view after which drag the dot left or proper to shrink or increase it. Tiles might be both 1×1 or 2×1 in measurement, permitting you to suit as few as eight or as many as 16 tiles on a single web page. You possibly can resize any tile, even ones offered by third-party apps, although clearly, not each tile may have a helpful description when it’s expanded.

For comparability, right here’s a picture that reveals the default Fast Settings format in Android 15 vs Android 16:

And right here’s a picture that reveals some extra Fast Settings panel layouts you’ll be capable to make due to this characteristic:

Right here’s a brief video that demonstrates the way you’ll be capable to resize Fast Settings tiles in Android 16:

With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is making it extra express that the Fast Settings enhancing interface isn’t merely for resizing and rearranging icons. Massive plus and minus symbols at the moment are current to make it abundantly clear that you would be able to add and take away Fast Settings tiles.

Along with these modifications, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Fast Settings tiles may as soon as once more develop into one-click toggles. When you discover within the screenshots above, the tiles for these two settings aren’t totally crammed in for background shade like the opposite tiles had been. That’s for a motive: tapping the icon would toggle the respective setting because it did in Android 14 whereas tapping the remainder of the tile would open the panel because it does in Android 15.

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 additionally features a new animation if you long-press on the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Fast Settings tiles.

Alongside, Android 16 will even set up the Fast Settings tiles into classes. We noticed strings inside Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 that recommend the Fast Settings panel will set up tiles into at most seven completely different classes. These classes embody Accessibility, Connectivity, Show, Privateness, Supplied by apps, Unknown, and Utilities. They may seem within the Fast Settings editor, much like what you may see under:

The system gained’t present classes for which you could have already added the obtainable tiles.

Nevertheless, there’s no strategy to swipe between the notifications and the Fast Settings panel.

Additional, Google can also be contemplating modifications to the expanded habits of the Web and Bluetooth tiles, going again to habits present in comparatively early Android variations. We managed to activate the change, whereby the Web and Bluetooth tiles now not popped out into floating panels however reasonably expanded to replenish the realm inside the Fast Settings panel, much like how issues labored in Android 5.1 to Android 8.1.

Nevertheless, the characteristic is clearly nonetheless in improvement, as evidenced by the duplicated textual content and lack of knowledge within the expanded tiles.

Google has confirmed a number of components of this in depth Fast Settings redesign, together with the resizable tiles, one-click toggles for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, up to date brightness slider, blurred background for the Fast Settings and notifications panel, and the up to date tile editor. You possibly can see the confirmed modifications within the video under:

New “Video Chat” panel for video name results

Android 16 Beta 4 contains strings for a brand new Fast Settings tile known as Video Chat. The strings present that Android will help results like background blur (which blurs your background setting), portrait relighting (which improves the lighting in your face), portrait touch-up (which retouches your face to take away imperfections), and studio-style mic (which suppresses background noise). For background blur, you’ll have the choice to use a light-weight blur or a full blur to the background. The portrait relighting, portrait touch-up, and studio-style mic results are easy on/off toggles.

We managed to activate the Video Chat Fast Settings tile and panel, and right here’s what it appears like:

These results don’t work but. Nevertheless, we anticipate these results to work in any video chat app, as there would in any other case be little level in making a devoted Fast Settings panel for them.

New “change customers” widget

With Android 16 Beta 2, Google has added a brand new multiuser widget known as “change customers.” Because the title implies, this widget helps you to rapidly change customers. It options giant buttons that prominently present the consumer’s profile image, and there’s additionally a button on the highest proper to open Android’s multiuser settings web page.

Lock display widgets

Android used to permit lock display widgets in its early days, however the characteristic was eliminated in Android 5.0 Lollipop in 2014. Google has been engaged on bringing again lock display widget help, and Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 lastly provides them for the Pixel Pill.

To entry them, swipe inward from the proper fringe of the lock display. Then, faucet the “customise” card to open the widget editor, the place you may add, take away, or reorder your widgets.

With Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1, we managed to activate a characteristic that allows you to resize any lock display widget to take up a complete column. This can enable sure widgets to indicate extra info at a look, as demonstrated within the video embedded under:

These widgets are at the moment supposed for tablets solely, not telephones. Nevertheless, in case you are curious, lock display widgets will certainly come to telephones, too. Google has talked about that lock display widgets can be obtainable in AOSP for tablets and cellular with the discharge of Android 16 QPR1, slated to reach in late Summer time 2025.

The characteristic isn’t but stay, however we managed to activate it on Android 16 Beta 2.1 for a demo:

As you may see within the video above, lock display widgets on telephones will work in another way than they do on tablets. The two×3 grid seen on tablets is just too large for the slim shows of most telephones, so Google’s answer is to show one column of widgets at a time. Extra importantly, the “glanceable hub” isn’t accessed by swiping inward from the proper fringe of the lock display, as it’s on tablets. As a substitute, it’s accessed by triggering the display saver by putting the cellphone on a charger or docking it and, sooner or later, by putting it upright on a stand.

Google says that OEMs can customise the mechanism that triggers the lock display widget expertise however not the interface itself.

Lock display minimalism

We noticed a brand new characteristic inside Android 15 QPR2 Beta that allows you to declutter your lock display with out forcing you to unlock your cellphone to see your notifications. This characteristic is known as lock display notification minimalism and, when it goes stay, might be discovered below Settings > Notifications.

The lock display notification minimalism characteristic appears to cover all the things however the icons for notifications. Right here’s a comparability of what the lock display appears like earlier than and after the lock display notification minimalism characteristic is enabled:

When this setting is enabled, nevertheless, solely the app icon is proven in a small tablet under the clock. Tapping this tablet expands the notifications panel so you may see your complete content material of every notification. Whereas this lock display notification minimalism characteristic does make it barely much less handy to see your notifications, it considerably declutters your lock display so you may see the gorgeous wallpaper you set for it.

This lock display notification minimalism characteristic has been faraway from the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 3 construct. As an alternative is a brand new “compact” notification format choice for the lock display. This new setting might be discovered within the Settings app below the Notifications on lock display settings. Beforehand, notifications on the lock display had been a dialog that allows you to select whether or not to indicate all notification content material, disguise all notification content material, or present delicate content material solely when unlocked, however Google is popping it right into a web page with extra choices.

On the brand new web page, you may select to have new notifications collapsed right into a shelf in your lock display (the “compact” choice) or proven in a full listing (the “full listing” choice). The outline for the total listing choice, which states that it’s the “present default placement,” means that Android 16 gained’t pressure the brand new compact format on customers.

Gemini button on the lock display

We’ve noticed a flag inside Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 that probably permits one other strategy to invoke Gemini, this time by a lock display button. This flag controls the presence of a button on the lock display that, when tapped, doesn’t do something proper now however may doubtless set off the AI assistant (given the glint icon).

The button is pill-shaped and sits proper under the fingerprint reader. It’s bigger than the 2 lock display shortcuts on the backside and has a sparkle icon within the center.

Since this transformation was noticed with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 supposed for Pixel gadgets, it might be integrated into future variations of the Android platform.

Extra just lately, with Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google has made Preserve a system app, that means customers can’t simply uninstall it. Whereas Google may produce other causes for doing so, this transformation may be a step ahead for the lock display note-taking characteristic.

Redesigned lock display

Along with all of the above options, Google can also be engaged on a redesigned format for the lock display, which appears cleaner than the present one when populated.

Right here’s what the present lock display appears like:

Right here’s what we managed to activate in Android 16 Beta 4:

Primarily, this lock display redesign relocates the At a Look widget’s problems. The date and climate problems transfer under the clock when it’s centered and to the proper of the clock when it’s on the high. The informational complication is now separate, sitting on the high when there aren’t any notifications and under the clock when notifications are current.

Whereas the lockscreen itself is totally purposeful, i

Stash notification bubbles

Google launched the Bubbles API with Android 11 in 2020, permitting messaging apps to open conversations in a floating window. The floating window sits on high of different apps so you may rapidly see or reply to messages out of your favourite contacts. While you’re completed chatting, you may decrease the floating window, which turns it right into a small, floating icon that you would be able to later faucet to revive the window.

Bubbles are both all the time totally seen or hidden, with no in-between state. We managed to activate a 3rd state in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, known as “stashing.” Bubble stashing helps you to stash these notification bubbles to the aspect of the display when they aren’t in use.

Open any app in a floating bubble

Whereas the Bubbles characteristic talked about above is nice, it solely works for dialog notifications and might be opted out, so many apps don’t help it. Nevertheless, in concept, most Android apps ought to work simply tremendous when positioned inside a floating window. Code inside Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 suggests Google is testing this concept, because it contains references to a “bubble something” characteristic.

As soon as activated, the Pixel Launcher provides a “bubble” button to the context menu that seems if you press and maintain on any app on the house display. Tapping this button opens the app — it doesn’t matter what it’s — in a floating bubble, as you may see under.

Right here’s a video demonstrating what Android’s new “bubble something” characteristic mixed with the upcoming bubble bar will seem like on tablets:

Since this transformation was noticed with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 supposed for Pixel gadgets, it might be integrated into future variations of the Android platform.

The bubble bar on telephones will enable customers to change between greater than two apps. The expanded bubble bar solely reveals the 5 most just lately opened bubbles, although the bubble overflow menu does listing different, beforehand opened bubbles. Google can also be growing completely different classes of bubbles: chat, observe, app, and shortcut. These classes will decide whether or not an app badge is displayed.

Do Not Disturb mode modifications, introduction of Precedence mode, and renaming to Modes

Google is working to supercharge Android’s Do Not Disturb mode with a brand new Precedence mode. We noticed in depth clues inside Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1, indicating that Google is planning to rename the Do Not Disturb mode entry level, tweak its UI, add a brand new Fast Settings tile, and introduce many different customization choices.

The brand new DND mode UI that we activated has new toggles to allow grayscale mode, disable the always-on show, dim the wallpaper, and allow the darkish theme. These 4 choices benefit from the brand new ZenDeviceEffects API.

The scheduling choices from DND mode are being transferred to a customized Precedence Mode. This new Precedence Modes menu helps you to create a totally customized DND mode schedule with its personal title, icon, activation set off, show settings, and notification settings.

When you’re nervous about DND taking two faucets to activate, we’ve noticed clues in Android 16 Beta 4 that point out that Google can also be engaged on a brand new, devoted Do Not Disturb mode tile particularly for toggling it. This new tile appears and capabilities precisely like the unique one did earlier than Android 15 QPR2 launched the Modes panel. Importantly, this new devoted Do Not Disturb tile will exist alongside the present Modes tile. This implies customers can select so as to add the brand new devoted Do Not Disturb tile, preserve the present Modes tile, use each, or use neither of their Fast Settings.

There’s additionally a brand new Fast Settings tile for the Precedence Mode, which co-exists alongside the DND mode tile.

With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, Google modified some behaviors associated to Precedence mode and likewise gave us a deeper look. The Fast Settings tile opens a dialog that allows you to rapidly select which Precedence Modes to allow and tells you what number of are enabled, if any.

The updates to the Precedence Modes menu in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 begins with the brand new intro display for the preexisting modes, Occasion and Sleeping. At the moment, although, the graphic used for every intro display is a placeholder, however Google will doubtless replace these in a future launch. One other change to the menu in QPR1 Beta 2 is the brand new UI for customizing the activation set off and notification settings. As well as, the mode icon now lights up when it’s turned on.

Google has additionally added many new icons to select from when making a customized Precedence Mode. When you can’t add your personal icon, Android now gives 40 icons to select from in QPR1 Beta 2.

In Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, “Precedence Modes” has been rebranded to only “Modes.” Google additionally added an icon within the standing bar, lock display, and AOD to correspond to the present mode that’s enabled, making it a lot simpler to inform at a look.

Google additionally barely tweaked the UI for the dialog that seems if you faucet the Fast Settings tile. Modes at the moment are displayed in a single-column, vertically scrolling listing as a substitute of a dual-column listing.

One other small tweak is that the Fast Settings tile itself now shows the icon of the primary mode that you just allow. It additionally reveals the title of the primary mode however switches to the variety of modes lively if multiple is enabled. Talking of which, in the event you ever have multiple mode enabled, then solely the primary one’s icon will seem on the standing bar, lock display, and AOD.

Since this transformation was noticed with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3 supposed for Pixel gadgets, will probably be integrated into future variations of the Android platform.

Time zone change notification

Your Android cellphone can routinely alter the time if you enter a brand new time zone. Nevertheless, you aren’t notified of such a change.

In Android 16 Beta 1, we noticed strings for a brand new “time zone change” characteristic that may seem below Settings > System > Date & time. The outline says that the characteristic will allow you to “obtain a notification when your time zone is routinely up to date.”

The notification’s title will clarify that “your time zone modified,” and the physique will embody precisely what time zone you’re now in.

Higher split-screen multitasking on telephones

Android’s break up display characteristic helps you to show two apps side-by-side, both in a 50:50 ratio (i.e., divided evenly in half) or in a 70:30 ratio. With the discharge of Android 16 DP2, Google quietly up to date the code for Android’s split-screen mode to help a 90:10 ratio.

This variation has the potential to supply a number of advantages. The 90:10 ratio is right for specializing in one app whereas maintaining one other open for fast reference. Tapping the smaller app window immediately enlarges it. Whereas the present 70:30 break up gives comparable performance in concept, on smaller Android cellphone screens, the 70% portion can nonetheless really feel cramped, whereas the 30% portion may be bigger than crucial. Having a 90:10 choice simply provides higher flexibility.

Three-way split-screen multitasking on tablets

In Android 16 Developer Preview 2, we noticed code for an in-development “versatile” split-screen mode and managed to activate it partially for the preview under:

This mode may work equally to OnePlus Open’s Open Canvas characteristic, which helps you to run as much as three apps side-by-side. Two apps share 90% of the display, and the third occupies the remaining 10%.

The genius of Open Canvas is that, whereas the third app is normally far too small to be usable, it may be rapidly enlarged by tapping wherever on the app window. Tapping like that shifts the display in order that the leftmost app now takes up 10% of the display whereas the center and rightmost apps take up the remaining 90%. You possibly can swap app positions, change apps by dragging and dropping from the taskbar, or view all three apps by performing a four-finger pinch gesture.

It stays to be seen if Google implements all of the gestures as Open Canvas.

Extra enhancements to the display recording system

Android 16 may enhance the display recorder and display caster indicator chips. We noticed and activated the change in Android 15 Beta 4.2, however the modifications may arrive on Android 15 in a future QPR launch and, thus, on the broader platform with Android 16. The chips additionally turned extra extensively obtainable in QPR1 Beta 2, indicating a possible launch for the QPR replace after which on Android 16.

For one, the brand new chips for display recording and screencasting gives you a timer proper within the standing bar.

They will even allow you to cease the display recording or screencasting session while not having to drag down the standing bar. Tapping on the chip will open a dialog that may allow you to cease the session.

There’s additionally a distinct icon now to point when a third-party app requests to report or solid the display. The dialog extra prominently asks you whether or not you need to “share your display” reasonably than “begin recording or casting.”

The expertise is pretty purposeful, nevertheless it stays anybody’s guess when it really arrives. With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, the system stops display shares initiated by third-party apps if you lock the machine.

App switcher throughout partial display sharing

Android 15 introduces a extra non-public display recording system that allows you to report or solid a single app as a substitute of your total display. Nevertheless, if you have to change the app you’re recording or casting, you must finish the present session and begin a brand new one.

We noticed a flag inside Android 15’s supply code that permits a “job switcher characteristic for partial display sharing.” After enabling this flag, if you begin display recording or display casting an app after which change to a distinct app, a brand new notification seems.

This notification informs the consumer that “sharing pauses if you change apps.” The notification has two buttons: “Share this app as a substitute” and “Change again.” Tapping “change again” launches the app with which the display recording or casting session was began. Tapping “share this app as a substitute” does nothing, although, because it seems the duty switcher characteristic for partial display sharing isn’t totally purposeful but. It’s doable that this characteristic may get activated for Android 16.

Redesigned media output switcher

With Android 16 Beta 4, we discovered code for a redesigned media output switcher. This panel pops out if you faucet the chip within the high proper of any media playback notification.

Beneath is the present UI for the media output switcher, as seen in Android 15 on a Pixel machine:

In distinction, right here’s the brand new UI for the media output switcher that Google is experimenting with in Android 16 Beta 4:

The “join a tool” button has moved from the underside of the listing to only under the media data on the high. Second, the slider controlling the quantity for the present output machine has been tweaked. As a substitute of a thick, pill-shaped slider with the machine title enclosed inside, it’s now a thinner, steady slider with the machine title positioned above the deal with. The slider additionally reveals a extra applicable icon for linked gadgets — on this case, a pair of earbuds. Lastly, the big tablet enclosing every machine below “Audio system & Shows” is gone, the one downgrade on this redesign.

Contacts Storage web page for backing up contacts

Android has lengthy allowed you to again up your contacts to your Google account, however Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 contains code that signifies Google might be engaged on including a devoted Contacts Storage web page to centralize the setting. This web page will comprise toggles to decide on which account to sync contacts to, a button so as to add an account, and a toggle to disable contact syncing solely.

Nook swipe gesture for invoking the default assistant

With the introduction of Circle to Search, Google hijacked the long-press dwelling button gesture (when utilizing the three-button navigation system) from invoking the default assistant and made it launch the Circle to Search characteristic as a substitute. Even in the event you disabled Circle to Search, you gained’t get the gesture again on the three-button navigation system.

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 contains code for a brand new nook swipe gesture that may allow you to invoke the default assistant even when utilizing three-button navigation.

As you may see, you’ll have to swipe diagonally inwards from the nook to launch your machine’s default assistant.

Android helps you to navigate its UI utilizing keyboard shortcuts. As a result of there are such a lot of keyboard shortcuts obtainable, Android additionally has a devoted menu itemizing them.

To assist make the keyboard shortcut menu simpler to make use of on tablets, Google may add the menu to the aspect navigation rail. We discovered code for this in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, and right here’s what it might seem like:

The redesigned keyboard shortcut menu ought to thus be simpler to make use of on tablets for the reason that shortcut classes can be nearer to the left fringe of the show. For the reason that change was noticed in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 supposed for Pixel gadgets, it might be integrated into future variations of the Android platform.

In Android 16 Beta 1, we noticed code that signifies that Google may add a button to the present keyboard shortcut menu to launch a brand new customization mode. This mode will permit you to assign shortcuts to key mixtures that aren’t already in use. With Android 16 Beta 2, this keyboard shortcut customization characteristic is stay, and right here’s the characteristic in motion:

Touchpad gesture tutorial

We noticed a brand new tutorial for touchpad gestures in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2. Google has created customized animations that specify how a few of Android’s touchpad gestures work. These animations simulate the gesture used to return (swiping left or proper with three fingers), the gesture to go dwelling (swiping up with three fingers), and the gesture to open the app drawer (urgent the motion key on the keyboard).

It additionally created a notification that seems when the consumer connects a touchpad for the primary time, inviting them to strive the gestures.

Though Android additionally helps gestures to open the latest apps display (swiping up with three fingers, then holding), open the notifications panel (swiping down with three fingers), and change between apps (swiping left or proper with 4 fingers), the tutorial in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 doesn’t point out all of those. It’s doubtless that Google isn’t completed with this tutorial simply but and that will probably be up to date in a future beta.

For the reason that change was noticed in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 supposed for Pixel gadgets, it might be integrated into future variations of the Android platform.

PC-like exterior show administration options

Google is testing new exterior show administration instruments in Android 16 that deliver Android nearer to different desktop OSes. Android has just a few points when extending the display from an Android cellphone to an exterior show — the mouse is fastened to 1 display and may’t be moved between shows, and Android doesn’t allow you to change between mirroring the display and lengthening it, forcing you to tweak developer choices after which reconnect the cellphone to alter show modes.

To deal with the primary subject, Google is enabling mouse cursor transitions throughout linked shows and including the power to rearrange them. The answer to the second subject is so as to add a toggle that switches between mirroring the built-in show and lengthening it. We managed to allow each of those PC-like exterior show administration options in Android 16 Beta 2.1:

We’ve additionally noticed a brand new ‘Allow desktop expertise options’ choice that may quickly seem in developer choices to allow you to allow Desktop View on secondary shows. These desktop expertise options can doubtless be enabled on secondary shows solely or on each the machine and secondary shows. We managed to allow the button in Android 16 Beta 3 however couldn’t get the characteristic itself to work.

Android’s Desktop Mode

With Android 16 Beta 4, we managed to activate Android’s desktop mode. Given the characteristic’s unfinished state, we anticipate it to reach both with a later Android 16 QPR launch or with Android 17.

In comparison with the present, barebones desktop interface that seems if you join a Pixel machine to an exterior show, Android’s new desktop mode really shows the taskbar and standing bar. The taskbar is a giant addition, because it gives entry to your pinned apps and a greater model of the app drawer. The taskbar may present latest apps whereas in desktop mode, making it simpler to multitask.

It’s additionally doable to launch a number of apps in floating home windows concurrently utilizing the brand new desktop mode. Additional, you may freely transfer, resize, or snap home windows to the aspect, similar to on desktop working techniques. This makes it straightforward to tug and drop content material from one app to a different, offered the apps you’re utilizing help drag-and-drop.

There’s extra work to be completed on this characteristic, so we anticipate to be taught extra within the coming months.

“Postured” set off for display saver

Android gives two methods to set off the display saver: whereas charging, or whereas docked and charging. The primary choice prompts the display saver at any time when the machine is charging, no matter how or its bodily state. The second choice prompts it solely when the machine is each charging and docked.

Android depends on the dock itself to move alongside the docking state info, however sadly, many charging stands aren’t acknowledged as docks. Customers need to thus use the charging set off, which additionally will get triggered when the machine is laid flat on a bedside dock, for instance.

With Android 16, Google may introduce a brand new display saver set off known as “postured,” which requires the machine to be sitting upright, not flat. This might resolve the issue of the display saver triggering when the machine is charging whereas laid flat on a desk, because the display saver will mainly solely activate when the machine is upright and charging on a stand.

Commerce-in mode for ADB

Commerce-ins can take numerous time, partially as a result of each cellphone that has been traded in must be inspected. Non-functional gadgets are straightforward to examine since they both have cracks that disqualify them or don’t boot up, however purposeful gadgets must be booted up and run by a collection of checks to substantiate that they’re functioning correctly. To ensure that the checks to run, the machine must undergo the setup display like a brand-new cellphone after which allow ADB debugging, which is buried deep within the Settings menu. Whereas most of those screens might be skipped within the setup, it nonetheless provides up time, however enabling ADB debugging can’t be prevented.

Android 16 may add a brand new trade-in mode to ADB, which might enable a really restricted model of ADB to be obtainable to Android gadgets proper on the primary display of the setup wizard. This can make it simpler for technicians to run automated diagnostics for machine inspections.

The setup wizard will allow ADB trade-in mode and can disable it after setup has been accomplished. The technician can use ADB trade-in mode to place the machine into an “analysis mode” and bypass the setup, however it is going to additionally pressure a manufacturing facility reset on the subsequent boot. Alternatively, one other command might be run to retrieve diagnostic details about the machine and see if it passes an attestation problem.

Safe Lock

We noticed a brand new permission in Android 16 associated to a brand new characteristic known as Safe Lock. Safe Lock is an enhanced safety mode that may be activated remotely. On this mode, unlocking the machine requires each your main lock display credential and your biometrics. Moreover, options akin to app notifications, widgets, Fast Settings, and the digital assistant are restricted to stop delicate information leaks.

This Safe Lock system permission is probably going going to be granted to the Google Play Companies app, which comprises Google’s Discover My System service.

New Terminal app to run Linux apps in a digital machine

Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 added a brand new “Linux improvement setting” toggle in Developer Settings, that allows you to “run (a) Linux terminal on Android.” After enabling this feature, a brand new Terminal app seems within the app listing.

The Terminal app will obtain, configure, run, and interface with an occasion of Debian (a preferred Linux distribution) in a digital machine. This can seemingly let builders run Linux apps on their Android gadgets by a digital machine. We’ve performed round with the characteristic and even managed to run Doom on Android 16’s Linux Terminal. With Android 16 Beta 4, Google uncapped the disk resize slider within the Linux Terminal app’s settings, letting customers resize the disk to occupy a lot of the host machine’s storage. We’ve even managed to enhance reminiscence availability for the reason that app is proscribed to 4GB of RAM, which might be inadequate for builders.

Devoted “Supervision” web page for sure parental controls

Google gives the “Household Hyperlink” parental management suite that makes it straightforward to create a managed Google Account to your youngster with express content material filters enabled in Chrome and Google Search. The Household Hyperlink app gives a centralized hub for managing your youngster’s on-line actions, and you may simply entry it both by the devoted Android app or inside Android’s Digital Wellbeing settings.

To allow machine supervision, you need to enter a brand new PIN for the supervised account. When you allow supervision, you may then activate internet content material filters for that account. By default, the system permits all web sites and search outcomes, however you may change these settings to dam express websites in Chrome and express photographs, textual content, and hyperlinks in Search. Whereas these content material filters gained’t block all express content material, they need to successfully disguise most inappropriate materials on the internet.

Parallel Module Loading

Google is making a change that hastens an early a part of the Android OS’s multi-stage initialization course of. The stage in query occurs after the Linux kernel is loaded, and it units up the essential setting crucial for the later phases of the boot course of to happen.

Throughout this stage, Android masses important kernel modules, that are items of code that stretch the kernel’s performance and which might be loaded and unloaded on demand. Google is proposing a change known as Parallel Module Loading to tweak how Android masses these modules. This might take away a bottleneck that beforehand existed, leading to a noticeable enchancment in module loading instances. It stays to be seen how a lot of this enchancment customers will be capable to expertise in boot instances, if in any respect they’re noticeable.

Pixel: Redesigned Pixel wallpaper app

Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 contains clues round a redesign of the Pixel wallpaper app, aka the app known as Wallpaper & Type on Pixel gadgets.

Right here’s a video that compares the Pixel wallpaper app’s present UI to the in-development one we enabled.

For starters, the tabs to change between customizing the house display and customizing the lock display at the moment are gone. As a substitute, to change from customizing the house display to customizing the lock display (or vice versa), you now merely swipe from one to the opposite within the carousel beneath the place it says “Wallpaper & model.”

The following large change is to how lock display clock customization is dealt with. As a substitute of swiping left or proper to cycle by the obtainable lock display clock types, all of the obtainable choices can be proven in a backside sheet. The lock display clock shade and measurement customization settings are additionally contained inside this new backside sheet, albeit in separate tabs.

Likewise, the lock display shortcut customization UI is now a part of a backside sheet as a substitute of a separate web page. With this transformation, you now not have to scroll to see all obtainable lock display shortcuts, as as much as 10 shortcuts can match on the sheet (solely 9 shortcuts at the moment exist for telephones).

The identical is true for the brand new system shade palette picker, which reveals two rows of palette choices as a substitute of 1. Deciding on a shade palette causes the house display preview to zoom in, permitting you to higher preview the modifications to your icons. The choice to toggle the darkish theme additionally seems when the preview zooms in, so you may rapidly preview how your house display appears with the darkish theme enabled, too.

Be aware that the in-development UI is much from completed, so many options and belongings are lacking. Nonetheless, this early look offers us a good suggestion of what to anticipate from the brand new model of the app when it goes stay in a future replace.

Pixel: New lock display clock choices and customization

With Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2, we noticed that the Pixel Wallpaper app has new clock model choices.

Google can also be making ready so as to add a brand new web page for customizing the lock display clock measurement, one that allows you to tweak the burden, width, roundness, and slant. This web page can be accessed by tapping a brand new pencil/edit button proven on high of every lock display clock model card. Whereas we weren’t in a position to get this pencil/edit button to look, we had been in a position to manually launch the brand new lock display clock measurement web page, as proven within the video under:

Pixel: Customise the shapes of dwelling display icons

The Pixel Launcher in Android 11 used to let customers customise the icon shapes for dwelling display icons, however this performance was eliminated in Android 12. Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 brings again the power to customise the icon shapes for dwelling display icons, indicating the characteristic may make an look within the steady department in a future steady launch.

The in-development model of the Pixel wallpaper app (aka Wallpaper & Type) now comprises a brand new “app form & format” menu in Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1. This menu has two tabs: Form and Structure. The Structure tab has acquainted choices for altering the format of the house display grid, whereas the Form tab has six completely different choices for altering the form of dwelling display icons.

Pixel: Current apps in taskbar

On Pixel foldables and tablets, the Android taskbar at the moment reveals six apps pinned to the dock and two urged apps. Though the Pixel Launcher suggests apps primarily based in your just lately used apps, they’re additionally primarily based on these you most continuously use and your “routines.”

Within the above video, you may see the 2 urged apps getting changed with the 2 most just lately used apps.

Since this transformation was noticed with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 supposed for Pixel gadgets, it might be integrated into future variations of the Android platform. Many Android producers already spotlight just lately used apps within the taskbar, so this transformation will profit the Android platform at giant.

Pixel: Manually set 80% charging restrict

Google Pixel smartphones have an Adaptive Charging characteristic that displays your charging habits and limits charging to 80% till about one hour earlier than the system predicts you’ll unplug your cellphone. This characteristic might be up to date so as to add an choice to manually cap charging at 80%.

The characteristic was noticed in Android 15 Beta 4.2 and rolled out extra extensively with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, so it is going to doubtless attain Pixel gadgets in a future QPR replace or with Android 16.

Pixel: Display screen-off fingerprint unlock

With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google added a brand new setting for Pixel 9 gadgets that permits customers to make use of the fingerprint sensor with out switching on the show. This new setting is known as “Display screen-off Fingerprint Unlock” and is current below Settings > Safety & privateness > System unlock > Face & Fingerprint Unlock > Fingerprint Unlock.

The Display screen-off Fingerprint Unlock characteristic is sort of simple and works precisely as described on Pixel gadgets with an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Right here’s a brief video demonstrating it:

The characteristic went stay with Android 16 Beta 2 and might be discovered below Settings > System > Gesture. It helps you to set the double-tap energy button shortcut to both launch the Pixel Digital camera app (the default digicam app on Pixel telephones) or the default pockets app.

Pixel: Double faucet to show off display

In Android 16 Beta 4, there’s proof that Google is working so as to add a gesture to show off the display with a double-tap on the lock display, and we managed to activate the gesture for a primary look.

With this new gesture, you may double-tap on an empty spot of the lock display to show off your Pixel cellphone’s display.

Pixel: Sturdy open/shut detection

The fourth beta of Android 16 has introduced a brand new show setting to the Pixel Fold and Pixel 9 Professional Fold. This setting, known as “strong open/shut detection,” is claimed to assist your Pixel foldable extra precisely inform whether or not it’s open or closed. Nevertheless, the characteristic will increase battery utilization.

Regardless that the characteristic has surfaced, it’s not instantly clear whether it is purposeful but.

Pixel: Pixel telephones get Linux kernel 6.1 replace

With the discharge of Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1, Google pushed out a significant Linux kernel model improve to all its Tensor-powered Pixels, unifying the kernel model throughout Tensor gadgets.

The Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Professional, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Professional, Pixel 7a, Pixel Pill, and Pixel Fold are all being upgraded from Linux kernel 5.10 to six.1, whereas the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Professional, and Pixel 8a are being upgraded from Linux kernel 5.15 to six.1. In the meantime, the Google Pixel 9 collection was already working Linux 6.1, so there aren’t any modifications for these gadgets.

Android 16 for TVs

With the discharge of Android 16, Google can also be apparently transferring the TV-based Android TV working system to a bi-yearly launch schedule. Because of this sensible TVs on Android TV 14 may skip Android TV 15 and straight get the Android TV 16 replace. Google’s I/O 2025 schedule mentions “making ready for Android 16 for TV,” so it’s coming for positive.

Be aware that the Android TV working system is sort of completely different from the standard Android working system, so the changelog for the Android TV 16 replace can be completely different from the platform changelog for the Android 16 replace for smartphones.

Smaller modifications

There are many smaller modifications that we anticipate can be obtainable in Android 16, primarily based on leaked options:

• Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 tweaks the Bluetooth machine particulars web page to indicate a small ring indicating the linked machine’s present battery stage.
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 contains an depth slider for shade correction settings. This slider helps you to tweak the depth of the colour stability modifications inside the shade correction modes.
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 contains customizations for the mouse pointer. These embody a brand new pointer fill model selector, a pointer stroke model selector, and a pointer scale slider. They are often discovered below Settings > System > Touchpad & mouse.
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 and Beta 2 embody a brand new keyboard switcher button. This button seems as a wireframe globe positioned below the keys and to the proper of the disguise button. The switcher dialog additionally appears extra trendy and is positioned a lot decrease on the display to make it simpler to pick out with one hand.
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 included new strings describing a settings web page for exterior shows. Beta 2 included the change for the Exterior Show web page. This web page permits the consumer to regulate the show decision and rotation of exterior shows which might be linked to a Pixel 8 collection or Pixel 9 collection machine.
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 features a new predictive again gesture animation for the keyboard.
• Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 contains code that implies Android may quickly introduce a system-wide audio enter switcher. This can allow you to change what microphone is getting used at a system-level, with out counting on apps to pack in that setting at their particular person stage.
• Android may provide you with a brand new notification if you dismiss the floating accessibility button. This notification would make it simpler to deliver it again in case you have to quickly dismiss it. The change was noticed inside the Android 15 supply code however isn’t at the moment stay in Android 15, so it may include Android 16.
• Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 contains code that permits or modifies three keyboard accessibility options:
  • You’ll quickly be capable to select the bounce key threshold or the period of time your keyboard ignores repeated key presses. You possibly can set the edge to 0.2s, 0.4s, 0.6s, or a customized time starting from 0.1 to 5s.
  • The brand new repeat keys characteristic will allow you to “maintain down a key to repeat its character till the bottom line is launched.”
  • The mouse swap characteristic will allow you to swap the actions of the left and proper mouse buttons. In different phrases, a left click on turns into a proper click on, and a proper click on turns into a left click on.
• Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 contains code that provides a brand new mouse reverse scrolling accessibility characteristic that merely modifications the course of mouse scrolls. When it’s enabled, transferring the mouse wheel up will transfer the web page down and vice versa.
• Android 16 Developer Preview 2 contains that implies you’ll be capable to customise the three-finger touchpad faucet gesture to return, go dwelling, launch Gemini, carry out a center click on, or view latest apps.
• Pixel: Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 pre-installs the VPN by Google service on the Pixel Pill, bringing it again.

These are all of the modifications we anticipate to see within the Android 16 platform replace in 2025. Tell us your favourite upcoming characteristic within the feedback under!