Android 16’s first public beta will begin rolling out later immediately, bringing with it dynamic lockscreen notifications for ride-sharing and meals supply, following yesterday’s reveal of the same characteristic in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 telephones. The brand new beta additionally forces apps to be resizable, a transfer to ensure they run full-screen on tablets and foldables. That is anticipated to be the primary of 4 public beta releases earlier than Android 16’s full launch in Q2.
Dwell Updates are dynamic notifications that “assist customers monitor and shortly entry vital ongoing actions” and are up to date in actual time. They’re Android’s tackle the Dwell Actions that Apple added to its iPhones in 2022.
Samsung additionally added the same characteristic in One UI 7, proven off in its Galaxy S25 telephones at yesterday’s Unpacked occasion, which it calls the Now Bar. Nevertheless, whereas Apple and Samsung’s variations help a spread of app and notification sorts, together with stay sports activities scores, the Android 16 implementation is to this point restricted to progress trackers, and Google suggests it ought to solely be used for ride-sharing, meals supply, and navigation apps.
Whereas Samsung’s Now Bar seems as a floating notification on the backside of the lockscreen, and Apple’s are designed round its Dynamic Island digital camera cutout, Android 16’s Dwell Updates appear to as a substitute be pinned to the highest of the common notification stack.
The opposite main change within the public beta launch is a restriction on builders’ means to lock the scale and orientation of their app home windows. The change is meant to make it possible for apps “work seamlessly” on gadgets “no matter show dimension and kind issue.” Briefly: that is to ensure apps open full-screen on bigger gadgets like tablets and foldables, and might be resized freely for multi-tasking. Video games are exempt, and app builders are in a position to decide out for this launch, however gained’t have that choice by the point Android 17 rolls round in 2026.
Different additions to the general public beta embrace help for the Superior Skilled Video (APV) codec, scene detection to allow evening mode in digital camera apps, and higher help for vertical textual content rendering. These be part of options already revealed in Android 16’s two developer betas together with enhancements to Android’s photograph picker menu, richer haptic controls, and a Well being Join app for sharing medical info.
Google has additionally confirmed that it’s engaged on including extra Gemini Extensions, after yesterday launching the flexibility for its AI assistant to behave throughout a number of apps in a single immediate. Up to now Gemini solely works with Google’s personal apps, just a few of Samsung’s, and a handful of third-party choices together with Spotify and WhatsApp, however Google guarantees help for “extra apps with extra OEMs on extra gadgets throughout extra kind components.”
The Android 16 beta is rolling out immediately to any Google Pixel telephone for the reason that Pixel 6, plus the Pixel Pill. That is the broader public’s first likelihood to check out the brand new Android model, however you gained’t have lengthy to attend in case you’d relatively not danger beta software program. Google is altering its replace cadence this 12 months, with Android 16 anticipated to be launched totally someday in Q2, following a closing beta launch in April, a lot sooner than its traditional Q3 launch window.
