Google has released the long-awaited Android 16 on Pixel devices, with plans to make it available on others later this year.
In a blog post on 10 June, the company said it is the earliest Android has launched a major release in the last few years, ensuring that Android users get the latest updates as soon as possible.
Notable features and upgrades
Google said the Android 16 is the foundation for the new Material 3 Expressive design, with features that make Android more accessible and easy to use. However, this new Android version comes with some notable changes.
The first is streamlined, up-to-date notification, which gives users live updates to keep them informed in real-time, starting with compatible ride-share and food delivery apps.
Google is also working with its app partners to bring this capability to the Android ecosystem, including in Samsung’s Now Bar and OPPO and OnePlus’ Live Alerts. Notifications will also be grouped by apps to avoid information overload.
Android 16 also comes with great improvement in enhancements for people who use hearing aids. It comes with native control for hearing devices, allowing them to control things like volume on their hearing devices remotely from their Android phone.
Similarly, regular users can now switch to using their phone’s microphone for clearer calls in noisy environments, making it easier to hear.
There is also a notable improvement in security, allowing users to activate Advanced Protection, which is Google’s strongest mobile device protection.
This activates security features that protect users from online attacks, harmful apps, unsafe websites, scam calls and more.
Upcoming launches
There are also upcoming launches for tablets Finally, tablet users will now be able to maximize their productivity with desktop windowing, a new way to interact with apps and content on large-screen devices rolling out later this year.
With it, users can open, move and resize multiple app windows in a single screen just like a desktop, making it easier to work across apps.
Custom keyboard shortcuts will also be launching later in the year to let users create their own combination of hotkeys, taskbar overflow, making it easy to find apps when the taskbar is full.
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