Android 16: New features, release date and everything else you should know | Technology News
Google unveiled Android 15, the latest version of the world’s most popular mobile operating system in August last year. While several smartphones and tablets are yet to get the update, the tech giant is already working on Android 16. If you are interested in knowing what the upcoming version of Android has to offer, from new features to expected launch date, here’s everything you need to know about Android 16.
Android 16: What’s new?
Like the last few versions of Android, the upcoming version of the operating system will be more of an iterative upgrade and won’t likely make any major changes to the user interface. However, Android 16 will be bringing some highly anticipated and useful features.
One of the most notable amongst these is Live Updates – a new feature that lets you pin specific notifications for easy access. Just like Apple’s Live Activities functionality, the new feature shows notification progress on the status bar, lock screen and Always-On display. However, it is still unclear if this feature will work with most apps or be limited to select ones.
Android 16 might also bring the ability to add widgets to the lock screen, something Google had scrapped nearly a decade ago. While the tech giant has already introduced the functionality on tablets, lock screen widgets on Android are expected to make an appearance with Android 16 QPR1, which is slated to launch sometime in late 2025.
With online and phone scams on the rise, Google also seems to be bolstering security with Android 16. Last month, the tech giant rolled out a new feature that automatically disables sideloading apps and accessibility services like active phone calls, a method commonly used by hackers to read screen content and take control of the device.
The upcoming operating system will also help you fight motion sickness with a new feature dubbed “Motion Cues”. Like Apple’s Vehicle Motion Cues on iOS 18, the upcoming feature will place animated black dots at the edge of the display that mimics the direction of movement of your vehicle to help reduce the sensory conflict between what they see and how their brain feels.
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Apart from the aforementioned features, Android 16 will also bring several visible and under-the-hood changes like a redesigned settings homepage, new volume slider, compact heads-up notifications and more.
Google is expected to launch Android 16 in June 2025. (Image Source: Google)
Android 16 release timeline
Google unveiled the Android 16 Developer Preview in November last year, and since then, the tech giant has already rolled out the first two betas. In a recent statement to Android Police, Google’s President of the Android Ecosystem said that the company is on track and will likely hit its self-imposed June 2025 deadline. If everything goes as planned, it might mean we will see smartphone manufacturers starting to roll out the Android 16 update sometime around August.
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