![\"android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/android-16-official-logo-1-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"android"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Google switched things up with Android 15<\/a> when it decided to decouple the platform update from the Pixel 9 series<\/a>. That decision gave both the software and hardware their own breathing room and independent timelines. The official stable Android 15 update has been out for the Pixel lineup for a while now, so we now move on and see what Google is cooking up for Android 16, now at Android 16 Beta 4.1<\/a>. Here\u2019s what we know about Android 16, its confirmed features, and leaks on the features we expect to see in the upcoming update in 2025.<\/p>\n Android 16: Name<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Google used to name Android versions with dessert codenames, but it strayed away from that tradition with the release of Android 10, choosing to stick with only the version number for all future releases. Consequently, Android 16 will be known simply as \u201cAndroid 16,\u201d with no dessert codename officially used.<\/p>\n However, Google still uses the dessert codename internally. Android 16\u2019s internal codename<\/a> leaked recently as Baklava. This is interesting because Android 15\u2019s codename was Vanilla Ice Cream, so you\u2019d think Android 16 would be known as something that starts with a \u201cW\u201d (\u201cWaffle\u201d would have been a good one). So why did Google jump from \u201cV\u201d all the way back to \u201cB?\u201d It\u2019s a bit complicated, but it mainly\u00a0involves big changes to Android\u2019s backend.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, the updates for Material Expressive are going to be available on Pixel devices first later this year, but it\u2019s not going to be part of the public release in June,\u201d Huang said.<\/p>\n A recent date leak<\/a> also revealed that the Android 16 release is set for June 3, so circle that date and keep your Pixels charged!<\/p>\n Further, Google has also mentioned its intentions of releasing more minor updates to the Android OS. For this, Google has planned a minor release in Q4 2024, i.e., for Android 16, presumably taking the shape of Android 16 QPR2. This might be marketed as Android 16.1, but we\u2019re not sure about that.<\/p>\n Android’s 2025 release timeline overview<\/p>\n To that end, Google has also released Android 16 Developer Preview 1 and 2, followed by Android 16 Beta 1, 2, 3, and 4 for supported Pixel devices, letting users try out the new update before it launches. Other OEMs have also begun rolling out Android 16-based developer betas for select devices.<\/p>\n Google has also released the Android 16 release timeline<\/a>. Right on schedule, Android 16 reached the Platform Stability milestone with its Beta 3 release in March 2025, while the Beta 4 release in April 2025 is its second Platform Stability release.<\/p>\n This preponed timeline is a stark departure from Android\u2019s history, as Google usually releases major versions of Android in Q3 or Q4 of each year. But there was nothing forcing Google to follow this timeline \u2014 the company was merely following a release cadence it had settled into over more than a decade.<\/p>\n Android 16: Easter Egg<\/p>\n An Easter Egg is a message or feature that\u2019s playfully hidden from users. As a tradition, Google has been sneaking in fun Easter eggs into Android, ranging from minigames to tools that highlight some capability of that year\u2019s Android release.<\/p>\n Android 16\u2019s Easter Egg<\/a> is largely similar to Android 14 and Android 15\u2019s Easter Eggs, all of which are a spaceship minigame that explores the vastness of space.\u00a0You can find it in Settings > About phone<\/strong>, and tap on the Android version<\/strong> repeatedly till you see the Android 16 logo<\/strong> floating in space. Press and hold on this Android 16 logo to launch the spaceship minigame.<\/p>\n However, Google could be adding some new functionality to Android 16\u2019s Easter Egg. With Android 16 Beta 3, we spotted two changes. It is now possible to manually engage the autopilot system in the game when you are playing it yourself, with the new \u201cAUTO\u201d button in the bottom right-hand corner. Previously, this only engaged when you set the game as your screensaver.<\/p>\n With the autopilot engaged, the Easter Egg now displays a progress-centric notification, which is a key part of the new Live Updates feature in Android 16. Google has confirmed Live Updates as a key feature for Android 16 (we mention it later in this article), but Live Updates itself is disabled in the Android 16 Beta 3 build. We managed to activate the feature to show off the full extent of Android 16\u2019s Easter Egg:<\/p>\n We hope to see the full Easter Egg released with Android 16\u2019s stable release.<\/p>\n Adamya Sharma \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Live updates<\/p>\n With Android 16, Google is introducing Live Updates<\/a>, a new class of notifications that helps users monitor and access important ongoing activities. They help prevent these critical progress-tracking use cases from being lost among other less-timely notifications, give them a prominent home on the lock screen, and provide a more consistent user experience.<\/p>\n Live Updates look and feel similar to iOS\u2019 Live Activities feature. One point of difference is that Google suggests Live Updates for ride-sharing, food delivery, and navigation use cases since these Live Updates\u2019 notifications are treated with high priority.<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 1 only introduces support for progress-centric notifications, a new notification style that shows the progress of something like a rideshare pickup, a food delivery dropoff, or the distance until the next turn.<\/p>\n For instance, if you place an Uber Eats order on an Android 16 phone, you will soon get a glanceable Live Update to track your delivery progress. You can view certain critical information without needing to pull down the notification.<\/p>\n When you do expand the notification by clicking on the Live Update chip in the status bar, you will see more information alongside a progress tracker. This will let you get most of what you need without re-opening the parent app.<\/p>\n Live Updates also gives such high-priority notifications a consistent look and experience across the lock screen and even the Always On Display. This way, you always have all that you need to know right at your fingertips, without needing to dig through apps and other notification clutter.<\/p>\n Live Updates are currently restricted to delivery, rideshare, and navigation apps. We\u2019ve already shown you Live Updates in Google Maps<\/a>, and later this year, you can expect to see them from other top players in these categories too.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Live Updates are important as these progress-centric notifications will be displayed more prominently on the lock screen. Google is working on a new compact notification shelf on the lock screen<\/a> for Android 16, and when that is enabled, notifications are collapsed into a shelf that you have to tap to expand. Progress-centric notifications, i.e., Live Updates, likely won\u2019t be collapsed into this shelf along with other notifications.<\/p>\n Embedded photo picker<\/p>\n With Android 16 Developer Preview 1, Google has added new APIs related to the photo picker. These new APIs allow app developers to have more creative control over how the photo picker appears for the user. This will make it feel like the photo picker is more a part of that app while still keeping the same security and privacy safeguards.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google is adding new APIs to enable searching from cloud media providers in the Android photo picker. Search functionality in the photo picker is then said to be \u201ccoming soon.\u201d<\/p>\n For reference, the photo picker is the pop-up menu you see when uploading media to an app. Years ago, adding media to an app would require that app to gain access to your entire media library, which is obviously not great. The photo picker allows you to select just the photos and videos you want to upload, preventing the app from \u201cseeing\u201d anything except what you give it.<\/p>\n Health records<\/p>\n With Android 16 Developer Preview 1, Google is updating Health Connect to support certain health records. This will allow Health Connect to both read and write Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard, which is likely the same standard your doctor, dentist, and other healthcare providers use.<\/p>\n Due to the sensitive nature of this feature, though, Google is limiting it within an early access program, forcing developers to apply for access before playing around with it.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google is adding a new ACTIVITY_INTENSITY datatype, which is defined according to WHO guidelines for moderate and vigorous activity. Each record requires the start time, the end time, and whether the activity intensity is moderate or vigorous.<\/p>\n Better Adaptive Refresh Rate (ARR) support<\/p>\n Adaptive Refresh Rate (ARR) was introduced in Android 15, and it went live for the Pixel 9 series with the Android 15 QPR1 release<\/a>. It enables the display refresh rate on supported hardware to adapt to the content frame rate using discrete VSync steps. This reduces power consumption while eliminating the need for potentially jank-inducing mode switching.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google is adding new APIs to make it easier for app developers to take advantage of ARR, so you can expect better support for the feature in future app releases.<\/p>\n Better app adaptability<\/p>\n Android 16 is phasing out the ability for apps to restrict screen orientation and resizability on large-screen devices like tablets, foldables, and beyond. Google notes that this feature is similar to features that OEMs have added on such devices, allowing users to run apps at any window size and aspect ratio. With Android 16, APIs and manifest attributes that restrict orientation and resizing will be ignored for apps (but not games) on large-screen devices.<\/p>\n Android 16 allows app developers to opt out of this change, but the Android release in 2026 (i.e., Android 17) will make this change mandatory. So, app developers should start working on making their apps adapt to different screen sizes and aspect ratios.<\/p>\n APV codec support<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 1 adds support for the APV 422-10 Profile, which provides YUV422 color sampling, 10-bit encoding, and target bitrates of up to 2Gbps.<\/p>\n Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec is a new \u201cprofessional\u201d video codec that aims to provide \u201cperceptually lossless video quality\u201d while using 20% less storage than the existing \u201cconventional professional video codec\u201d formats.<\/p>\n Google mentions that the APV codec has the following features:<\/p>\n Ranging with enhanced security<\/p>\n With Android 16, Google is adding support for robust security features in Wi-Fi location on supported devices with Wi-Fi 6\u2019s 802.11az. Thanks to this, apps can now combine the protocol\u2019s higher accuracy, greater scalability, and dynamic scheduling with security enhancements, including AES-256-based encryption and protection against MITM attacks.\u00a0 This allows it to be used more safely in proximity use cases, such as unlocking a laptop or a vehicle door.<\/p>\n Predictive back upgrades<\/p>\n Android 16 Developer Preview 2 adds new APIs to help app developers enable predictive back system animations in gesture navigation, such as the back-to-home animation.<\/p>\n Earlier in the year, we spotted Google working on bringing predictive back support to three-button navigation<\/a> in Android 16. With Android 16 Beta 1, Google is indeed doing so for apps that have correctly implemented predictive back. With three-button navigation, long-pressing the back button will initiate a predictive back animation, giving users a preview of where the back button takes them. This behavior applies across all areas of the system that support predictive back animations, including the system animations).<\/p>\n Privacy Sandbox on Android<\/p>\n Android 16 Developer Preview 1 incorporates the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android.<\/p>\n WritingTools API to let apps block AI writing tools<\/p>\n Android 16 Developer Preview 2\u2019s documentation includes a new Writing Tools API<\/a> that seemingly lets apps out of having AI rewrite text for you. The documentation notes that \u201ctoolkits can optionally disable [AI writing tools] where not relevant, e.g., passwords, number input, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n The logic behind this new Writing Tools API would be to allow app developers to disable AI writing tools where it doesn\u2019t make sense to have them. It will be up to the keyboard app to respect the new API. Even if both the apps play nice with each other, a user could always just generate text in another app and then insert it into the text field where it was supposed to be blocked.<\/p>\n Generic ranging APIs<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 1 includes the new RangingManager, which provides ways to determine the distance and angle of supported hardware between the local device and a remote device. RangingManager supports a variety of ranging technologies, such as BLE channel sounding, BLE RSSI-based ranging, Ultra-Wideband, and Wi-Fi round-trip time.<\/p>\n This should theoretically lead to better device tracker support in the OS, as your Android device will soon be able to pinpoint the tracker\u2019s distance and angle.<\/p>\n Night Mode Camera extension API<\/p>\n Google had already mentioned<\/a> that it would introduce a new Night Mode Indicator API in Android 16, and with Beta 1, it\u2019s here. This API helps apps automatically adjust to low-light environments when capturing images or recording videos.<\/p>\n Vertical Text support<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 1 adds low-level support for rendering and measuring text vertically to provide foundational vertical writing support for library developers. This is particularly useful for languages like Japanese, which commonly use vertical writing systems.<\/p>\n Gemini Extensions<\/p>\n This is curiously mentioned in the release announcement for Android 16 Beta 1, but it\u2019s not a part of Android 16 Beta 1 right away. Google highlights that Samsung just launched new Gemini Extensions on the Galaxy S25 series<\/a>, showing off the new ways that Android apps can integrate with the power of Gemini. These Gemini extensions are pretty much the \u201capp functions<\/a>\u201d feature that we spotted long before the official announcement.<\/p>\n Google says it is working to make this functionality available to more apps with more OEMs on more devices across more form factors. However, the company stops short of providing more details, technical or otherwise, in the announcement. So,\u00a0we\u2019ll have to dig in to see what changes are coming.<\/p>\n Measurement system customization<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Android’s upcoming settings for changing your region and preferred measurement system.<\/p>\n We predicted that Android 16 would let you set your preferred measurement system and region independent<\/a> of the system language. With Android 16 Beta 2, Google has announced that you can set your preferred measurement system in System > Languages & region<\/strong>. We\u2019re yet to hear more on the regional preferences feature, though.<\/p>\n Camera updates: Hybrid auto-exposure, precise color temperature and tint adjustments<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is adding new hybrid auto-exposure modes to the Camera2 API. This will allow third-party apps to manually control specific aspects of exposure while letting the auto-exposure (AE) algorithm handle the rest. With that, apps can allow users to control ISO and AE or exposure time and AE, providing greater flexibility compared to the current approach, where you either have full manual control or rely entirely on auto-exposure.<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 2 is also adding camera support for fine color temperature and tint adjustments to better support professional video recording apps.<\/p>\n Media update: Motion photo capture, Ultra HDR image enhancements<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 2 is also adding a standard Intent action for capturing and displaying Motion Photos.<\/p>\n It also adds support for Ultra HDR images in the HEIC file format, in addition to the existing JPEG format. Google says it is also working on AVIF support for Ultra HDR.<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 2 also adds additional parameters to Ultra HDR, including the ability to get and set the colorspace in which gain map math should be applied and support for HDR-encoded base images with SDR gain maps.<\/p>\n Mandating edge-to-edge apps<\/p>\n With Android 15, Google revealed that apps would display content edge-to-edge by default. However, to help developers with the transition, Google added an API to allow apps to opt out of this change.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 2, this transitionary API has been deprecated. Apps that target the latest Android version will have to display app content edge-to-edge, and there\u2019s no longer any means for apps to opt out.<\/p>\n Advanced Protection Mode<\/p>\n Google already has an Advanced Protection Program, which, when enrolled in, forces users to use a security key or passkey to sign into their Google account, prevents downloading files that Google Chrome marks as harmful, and blocks unapproved (by Google) apps from accessing their Google account data. On your Android device, Google Play Protect will stay enabled, will block you from installing apps from outside the Google Play Store or other preinstalled apps, and will even warn you about apps on the Play Store that haven\u2019t been approved by Google. The program targets users at an elevated risk of getting hacked, like IT admins, journalists, activists, business executives, and politicians.<\/p>\n With Android 16, Google is integrating the Advanced Protection Program into Android with the new Advanced Protection Mode<\/a>. The mode is a one-click solution that can bolster the security of phones running Android 16. When enabled, it toggles various security features within the OS and first-party Google apps to protect against threats from malicious third-party apps, external attackers, and harmful websites.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also an Advanced Protection API<\/a>, which allows third-party apps to check if the mode is active and enable their own security measures, further enhancing your security when using them.<\/p>\n You must have an Android phone or tablet running Android 16 to enable Advanced Protection. Then, open the Settings<\/strong> app, find Google settings<\/strong>, and look for the Advanced Protection<\/strong> page under the Personal & device safety<\/strong> category, as shown below. Finally, toggle \u201cdevice protection<\/strong>\u201d to enable the Advanced Protection mode on your Android device.\u00a0You can also tap \u201caccount protection<\/strong>\u201d to open the enrollment page for Google\u2019s Advanced Protection Program, which you should enroll in if you want to safeguard your Google account.<\/p>\n Here is a list of every security feature that Advanced Protection enables in Android 16:<\/p>\n You can read more about these in our Android Advanced Protection deep dive article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Automatically hiding sensitive notifications from lock screen<\/p>\n Android 15 added a feature where the OS blocks untrusted apps from reading sensitive notifications with two-factor authentication codes, even if the app has permission to read all notifications. Android 16 extends this feature by redacting the notifications before displaying them on the lock screen<\/a>. This redaction will only occur in \u201chigher risk scenarios,\u201d such as when a user\u2019s device is not connected to Wi-Fi and has not been recently unlocked.<\/p>\n Android 16 DP1 no longer displays the contents of notifications that Android System Intelligence deems to be \u201csensitive.\u201d So far, we\u2019ve observed this to be the case for notifications with OTP codes in them, but it\u2019s possible that other types of content might trigger this behavior.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Sensitive notification on lock screen of Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 (left) vs Android 16 DP1 (right)<\/p>\n Android 16 automatically hides the content of these sensitive notifications even if you enable the \u201csensitive notifications\u201d option under Settings > Notifications > Sensitive notifications<\/strong>. That option, when disabled, hides the title and summary of all notifications on the lock screen, though you can still see what apps have posted notifications. A separate option on the same page named notifications on lock screen<\/strong> lets you control whether to hide all notifications entirely, only hide conversation notifications, or to show all notification content.<\/p>\n By automatically redacting sensitive notifications with OTP codes, Android 16 protects you from accidentally leaking that information, regardless of your lock screen notification choices.<\/p>\n Anti-scammer safeguards during phone calls<\/p>\n With Android 16, Google has introduced new anti-scammer safeguards<\/a>, especially during phone calls. Android 16 will detect when a phone call is active and prevent the user from enabling the sideloading permission. This would prevent scammers from trying to walk their victims through sideloading malware apps.<\/p>\n Android 16 also blocks the enabling of certain sensitive permissions, such as accessibility access, during active phone calls. Granting accessibility access allows an app to read the screen and perform actions on your behalf \u2014 a powerful combination that could give malicious software complete control of your device.<\/p>\n Ambient volume controls for Bluetooth LE Audio hearing aids<\/p>\n In documentation released alongside Android 16 Beta 1, we\u2019ve spotted<\/a> that the platform has added the ability for users of Bluetooth LE Audio hearing aids to \u201cadjust the volume of ambient sound that is picked up by the hearing aid\u2019s microphones.\u201d This will be helpful in places where background noise is either too loud or too quiet.<\/p>\n Android 16 also adds the ability for users of LE Audio hearing aids to \u201cswitch between the built-in microphones on the hearing aids and the microphone on their phone for voice calls.\u201d Google says this can be helpful in noisy environments or in other situations where the hearing aid\u2019s microphone may not perform well.<\/p>\n Auracast Broadcast audio support<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 3, Google officially supports Auracast broadcast audio with compatible LE Audio hearing aids on Pixel 9 devices. Auracast enables compatible hearing aids and earbuds to receive direct audio streams from public venues like airports, concerts, and classrooms. The setting is hidden, but you can enable it with a Developer Options toggle<\/a>.<\/p>\n With this, Google is also indirectly confirming that the Bluetooth Audio Sharing<\/a> feature that went live in Android 16 DP1 will be part of the upcoming Android 16 release. Once you install the Android 16 DP1 update on a Pixel 9 device, you can find the audio sharing feature under Settings > Connected devices > Audio sharing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Outline text for maximum text contrast<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 3, Google is introducing outline text, which replaces high-contrast text by drawing larger contrasting areas around text to greatly improve legibility.<\/p>\n Vulkan, the official graphics API for Android<\/p>\n Google announced in March 2025 that Vulkan is the official graphics API for Android<\/a>. Android already supported Vulkan graphics API since Android 7.0 Nougat in 2016, but only a small percentage of active devices supported it back then. The situation is now significantly different, hence the change.<\/p>\n According to Google, this change enables developers to add more immersive visuals to their games. Vulkan allows developers to capitalize on the performance of modern smartphone GPUs to unlock features like ray tracing in games or multithreading.<\/p>\n What does it actually mean for Android to make Vulkan its official graphics API, though? Essentially, Google aims to establish Vulkan as the GPU hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for Android, requiring all apps and games utilizing the phone\u2019s GPU to do so through Vulkan. This includes: game engines, middleware, and layered APIs like Android\u2019s HWUI, Skia, WebGPU, and ANGLE.<\/p>\n Starting with Android 16, Google says that \u201cmore devices will use Vulkan to process all graphics commands.\u201d Specifically, Android 16 will require some newer devices to use ANGLE for some applications (meaning, only applications on an approved list will use ANGLE).<\/p>\n Further, Google introduced Vulkan Profiles for Android (VPA) last year to improve consistency in Vulkan feature availability across Android devices. VPA defines a set of Vulkan features that GPUs must support to pass Google\u2019s certification testing for a given Android release.<\/p>\n VPA 16, aimed at next-generation chipsets launching with support for Android 16, will require support for Host Image Copy<\/a>, a feature that\u2019s part of the core Vulkan 1.4 specification that one Google engineer calls a \u201cgame changer for games on Android.\u201d This feature allows games to copy image data, such as textures, using the device\u2019s CPU instead of the GPU.\u00a0Host Image Copy will prove particularly useful for Android games, as it enables faster app loads, reduces stutter, and lowers GPU memory usage.<\/p>\n iOS-like App Settings with SettingsPreferenceService API<\/p>\n Android 16 adds a new API that lets apps integrate their own settings with the Android Settings app, similar to what we already see on iOS, albeit it\u2019s not widely adopted there, either, outside of Apple\u2019s own apps. If this API becomes broadly adopted on Android by third-party apps, it could transform Android Settings into a one-stop shop for both device and app settings.<\/p>\n In-process software audio codecs<\/p>\n Android 16 adds support for in-process software audio codecs<\/a>, a feature that allows media codecs to run within an app\u2019s process instead of within the usual sandboxed media codec process. The in-process operation, though potentially risky, is deemed safe because the codec\u2019s software implementation is written in a memory-safe language like Rust.<\/p>\n While Android 16 supports this feature, it\u2019s not in use yet, as the respective vendors will need to rewrite the media codecs in Rust. Thus, while Android 16\u2019s new in-process software audio codecs feature should theoretically bring better performance and battery life when playing back media, it\u2019s likely we won\u2019t see these benefits for quite some time.<\/p>\n Cloud compilation for app installs<\/p>\n Android 16 now supports cloud compilation<\/a>, a new feature that could speed up new app installs. The goal of cloud compilation would be to avoid running the dex2oat tool during app installations by offloading compilation to the cloud.<\/p>\n Identity check coming to more phones<\/p>\n With the upcoming Android 16 update, more Android phones will be getting access to Android\u2019s Identity Check feature<\/a>. Standardized picture and audio quality framework for TVs<\/p>\n Android 16 offers a set of standardized APIs for access to audio and picture profiles and hardware-related settings on TVs. This allows streaming apps to query profiles and apply them to media dynamically. For example:<\/p>\n The API allows apps to switch between these profiles, thus letting users enjoy the benefits of tuning supported TVs to match the content.<\/p>\n Android 16: Leaked and upcoming features<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Google has shared some details about Android 16 through its official announcements, but we\u2019ve spotted a ton of changes in Google\u2019s QPR updates that help paint a more complete picture of the changes we can expect to see in the final Android 16 release.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s QPR updates and what they tell us about future Android releases<\/p>\n The Android platform follows an annual release schedule, which OEMs and the world at large have access to. Google also follows a second public release schedule for its Pixel devices in the form of QPR updates. QPR refers to Quarterly Platform Release, which is an update track where updates are released once every three months (quarter). So, we generally get an annual Android platform update on Pixels, followed by three QPR releases, and then the next annual Android platform update.<\/p>\n While the features included in the Android platform update are final and available to the world, features released in the QPR updates are available to Pixel devices until the next Android platform update incorporates them. Further, Google also runs a separate beta program for the QPRs months in advance.<\/p>\n This gives us situations where we can try out new features coming to Android 16 (by checking them out in Android 15 QPR1 betas) before the stable Android 16 update is even launched! Later QPR betas give us even more features that can be chalked up to the next platform release.<\/p>\n As a result, we have a list of features that are coming to upcoming Android 15 QPR releases for Pixel devices, which are also likely to be added to the next Android platform update, Android 16. Let\u2019s check them out!<\/p>\n Local Network Protection<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 3 officially adds the ability to test the upcoming Local Network Protection feature, which Google says is planned for a future Android major release.<\/p>\n Essentially, any app with the \u201cINTERNET\u201d permission can communicate with the Internet worldwide and with devices on the user\u2019s local network. Local Network Protection will eventually require apps to request specific permission to access the local network. With Android 16 Beta 3, Google is giving app developers a chance to test if their apps are affected by this upcoming change.<\/p>\n Intrusion Logging<\/p>\n Google announced Intrusion Logging<\/a> as a new feature in Android 16 that will help users detect if their device has been compromised. Intrusion Logging collects \u201cactivity logs\u201d which include details such as USB connection events, network info like browsing history, app installs, Bluetooth connections, lock screen info, and Wi-Fi connections. Your activity logs are encrypted using your Google account password and device lock screen, ensuring only you can view them. These logs are stored in a \u201cprivate and encrypted Google Drive,\u201d providing further protection against unauthorized access.<\/p>\n While the API is already available in Android 16, Google hasn\u2019t yet integrated Intrusion Logging into Google Play Services. Consequently, the feature will roll out later in the year, possibly as part of an Android 16 QPR rather than with the launch of Android 16.<\/p>\n Improvements to Factory Reset Protection<\/p>\n At The Android Show: I\/O Edition, Google announced<\/a> that Android\u2019s existing Factory Reset Protection mechanisms will become even more powerful later in the year. While Android already has several mechanisms to deter bypassing the setup screen after triggering a factory reset, these new protections will restrict all functionalities on devices that are reset without the owner\u2019s authorization.<\/p>\n Android will likely detect if someone bypassed the setup wizard (to bypass previous factory reset protection mechanisms), and will thus force another factory reset cyclically, preventing unauthorized use until the user proves ownership.<\/p>\n Since these upgrades are coming later in the year, they will not be part of the first stable release of Android 16. Instead, we expect this update to come with the Android 16 QPR1 update.<\/p>\n Material 3 Expressive<\/p>\n Google has officially announced Material 3 Expressive<\/a> as the next evolution of Material Design. This UX update is set to arrive with Android 16, but not the first stable release. Instead, it will come with Android 16 QPR1 to Pixels<\/a>, meaning most non-Pixels will get access to this with Android 17, albeit individual apps could have their own redesign on Android 16.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, the updates for Material Expressive are going to be available on Pixel devices first later this year, but it\u2019s not going to be part of the public release in June,\u201d confirmed Allen Huang, Google\u2019s Director of Product Management for Pixel and Android system UI.<\/p>\n This sweeping UI update is a significant step in Google\u2019s ongoing effort to make Android and Wear OS more visually engaging, emotionally resonant, and interactive. Some of its highlights include:<\/p>\n You can learn more about Material 3 Expressive in our deep dive article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Android\u2019s big UI overhaul<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Old vs new app drawer UI in the Pixel Launcher<\/p>\n This change is so big that it deserves its own section. With the above-mentioned Material 3 Expressive changes, Google is also planning a big UI overhaul for Android<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0expressive animations<\/a> to accompany it. These changes were spotted and activated within Android 16 Beta 4, but they are unlikely to be available with the Android 16 stable release. Instead, they\u00a0could come with a future QPR release or Android 17 and beyond.<\/p>\n As part of the UI overhaul, we expect changes across several important areas, like status bar icons, clock font, combined notifications, Quick Settings panel, cleaner lock screen with collapsed notifications, and so much more. The changes are quite voluminous to list here, so do check out our original coverage for the whole scoop.<\/p>\n Desktop windowing<\/p>\n We\u2019ve talked about desktop windowing<\/a> before as a leak, but Google officially introduced<\/a> the feature in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 for the Pixel Tablet. Google\u2019s announcement doesn\u2019t mention the release timeline, but we expect to see the feature in the wider Android 16 release.<\/p>\n Desktop windowing allows users to run multiple apps simultaneously and resize app windows, just like we\u2019re used to doing on conventional desktops.<\/p>\n Google has fixed the taskbar\u2019s position to the bottom of the screen. It can now show running apps and apps pinned by the user. There is also a new header bar, which houses window controls.<\/p>\n In addition to the announced feature, there\u2019s a new hidden toggle<\/a> called Enable desktop mode on secondary display<\/strong>, which replaces the old Force desktop mode toggle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The header bar now has a minimize button, which we spotted and activated in Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 and subsequently became available for all<\/a> with Android 16 Beta 3. Tapping the minimize button minimizes a window.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n When an app\u2019s window is minimized, it can be reopened by tapping the app\u2019s icon in the taskbar.<\/p>\n Similar to conventional desktop platforms, the bar underneath the app\u2019s icon turns gray and shrinks when an app is minimized. When every app window is minimized, Android exits desktop windowing mode.<\/p>\n Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 release has also introduced an \u201capp-to-web\u201d feature for desktop windowing.<\/p>\n For select apps like Google Photos, an \u201copen in browser\u201d option will appear in the dropdown menu. Tapping this opens the website associated with the app. You can also tap the settings cog to choose whether to open web links in the app or in your browser.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 3, Google added the ability to put apps like YouTube into picture-in-picture mode and the ability to drag a Chrome tab to open it in its own window.<\/p>\n Battery Health page<\/p>\n Google has added a new battery health screen<\/a> to Android 16 Beta 3. This screen attempts to quantify exactly how good your phone\u2019s battery health is.<\/p>\n It not only displays your estimated battery capacity as a percentage of what a new battery for your phone is capable of, it also surfaces some actionable insights to help you get the most out of it.<\/p>\n Redesigned Settings homepage with Expressive Settings<\/p>\n Android 15 Beta 3 included clues for a redesigned Settings homepage, but the changes didn\u2019t go live in later betas. The new settings layout did go live in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, indicating that it is possibly on track for an Android 16 release.<\/p>\n On the left is an example of how the top-level page looks on Android 14 and the right image shows the new layout in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.<\/p>\n This Expressive Design for the Settings app features newer Material You switches with an X or checkmark icon in the handle. Each item in Settings will be placed in separate, visually distinct cards. Small arrow icons will indicate when an item in Settings has a subpage. Finally, most pages will display the header at the very top, allowing for more items to be shown at first glance.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 4, the Expressive Design for the Settings app gained colorful new icons<\/a> for each entry, as you can see in the images below:<\/p>\n This Expressive Settings will live alongside the main Settings homepage redesign, as that remains unchanged. Further, Expressive Settings are unlikely to roll out to the main Android 16 release, but will likely make it to future Android 16 QPR releases or even Android 17.<\/p>\n Redesigned volume slider and volume panel<\/p>\n We managed to activate a new volume panel UI<\/a> in Android 16 Developer Preview 2. This volume panel ditches the thick, pill-shaped sliders in favor of thinner, continuous sliders with handles.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Google is also working to update the volume slider to match this new design. As you can see below, the volume slider in Android 16 will be less rounded and will have a thin rectangular handle. The icon indicating the current volume stream that\u2019s being controlled will sit at the bottom of the slider instead of at the top. The three dots at the bottom, which open the full volume panel, are slightly smaller in the new design.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n While the volume mode icon at the top has remained the same, the mode selector has been tweaked to show other modes in discrete rounded rectangles.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that Google is merely testing this design and could abandon it in the future. So we will have to see if it makes it to the stable version of Android 16.<\/p>\n New status bar icons<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 3, we spotted some changes to status bar icons<\/a> as a carryover work from changes that were spotted before Android 15 but never made it to release. Now in the new status bar icons, the Wi-Fi signal strength icon displays three segments instead of five.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n More significantly, though, the battery level icon shows a dynamic color scheme depending on the battery status.<\/p>\n When the battery is sufficient and not charging, the background color is solid white. When the battery is low and not charging, the background color turns red. Finally, when the device is charging, the background color turns vivid green. The battery level percentage is also bolder, and the icon is also flipped.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no guarantee Google will roll out these new icons. If they do, it\u2019s unlikely they\u2019ll appear in the stable Android 16 release. Instead, they might appear in a quarterly Android 16 release or in next year\u2019s Android 17 update.<\/p>\n Force dark mode<\/p>\n Despite dark themes in apps gaining popularity when the feature was launched, many apps have not bothered implementing one. We spotted a \u201cmake all apps dark<\/a>\u201d feature back in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 that forced every app to go dark, even if the app didn\u2019t have its own dark theme. The feature didn\u2019t go live in the subsequent stable Android 15 release, though.<\/p>\n In Android 16 Beta 1, the feature continues to show signs of development.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Hidden “make more apps dark” toggle in Android 16 Beta 1<\/p>\n It is now renamed\u00a0\u201cmake more apps dark<\/a>\u201d and is a hidden setting in Settings > Display & touch > Dark theme<\/strong>. The feature\u2019s description says that it \u201cautomatically convert[s] light-themed apps to dark theme.\u201d<\/p>\n New emojis from Unicode 16.0<\/p>\n Android 16 Developer Preview 2 includes an updated emoji font file<\/a> with seven new emojis that are a part of Unicode 16.0:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Left: Emoji 16.0 page viewed in Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2. Right: Emoji 16.0 page viewed in Android 16 DP2.<\/p>\n HDR screenshots<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is finally implementing support for true HDR screenshots<\/a>. Screenshots of HDR content will be saved in HDR format, namely as PNG files with HDR gainmaps embedded in them. Viewing these screenshots will brighten the screen to allow the HDR highlights to pop. These gainmaps allow the screenshots to appear as HDR when viewed on Android 16 devices but as SDR on other devices.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 4, Google fixed the duplicate navigation handle that appeared when the tiny taskbar was enabled. Google also upgraded the tiny taskbar\u2019s multitasking<\/a> by adding a button that opens a carousel showing the six most recently opened apps.<\/p>\n Curiously, this recent apps carousel isn\u2019t available on tablet\u2019s taskbar. Despite the progress in the feature\u2019s functionality, it\u2019s not ready for prime time yet, and may arrive in future Android releases.<\/p>\n \u201cEven dimmer\u201d display brightness<\/p>\n Google has been testing an \u201ceven dimmer\u201d display brightness option<\/a> for Android. As the name suggests, this setting toggle would allow your phone\u2019s display to go dimmer than usual. This feature could work alongside adaptive brightness, going even dimmer than usual when the ambient lighting is super low but automatically returning to normal brightness when the ambient lighting is high.<\/p>\n The key difference between Android 12\u2019s Extra Dim accessibility feature and the upcoming Even Dimmer feature is that Even Dimmer is meant to be toggled and forgotten as the adaptive brightness will take care of the dimming, while Extra Dim is a manual toggle for going lower in brightness. Because Even Dimmer basically accomplishes the same thing as Extra Dim, the latter feature will disappear when the former rolls out. Android will even remove the Extra Dim shortcut from the Quick Settings panel to get you to migrate to the new feature.<\/p>\n Normally, the brightness bar\u2019s lowest value sets your device\u2019s screen to the lowest brightness level allowed by its hardware, but with Even Dimmer enabled, the OS will apply an additional dimming layer when the brightness bar is at its lowest value. Disabling Even Dimmer just requires you to slide the brightness bar to the right, which you probably do multiple times a day already, making it much more likely you won\u2019t accidentally keep it enabled. Unlike Extra Dim, you won\u2019t have to remember to turn Even Dimmer on when you\u2019re in the dark or turn it off when it\u2019s no longer dark around you \u2014 otherwise, your phone\u2019s screen will be dimmer than it should be during the day.<\/p>\n Rich Ongoing Notifications<\/p>\n As we learned from clues within Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, Android 16 could introduce Rich Ongoing Notifications<\/a>, a new API that lets apps show more than just an icon in the status bar. The API will let apps create chips with their own text and background color that live in the status bar, sort of like the new screen recording chips (mentioned in the later parts of this article). It\u2019s likely that tapping these chips will open some sort of dialog provided by the app that shows more information about the ongoing notification.<\/p>\n For example, here\u2019s a gallery that shows what the Rich Ongoing Notifications API could be used for in Android 16, using mock notifications for various apps like Uber, the United Airlines app, and the Clock.<\/p>\n The feature appears inspired by iOS\u2019s Dynamic Island, but it predates the feature. Android 12 added an API that lets dialer apps show the duration of an ongoing call in a status bar chip a full year before Apple introduced its Dynamic Island feature. Android 16 opening up status bar chips to all apps would be a major expansion of the feature.<\/p>\n Bundled notifications<\/p>\n In Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2, we managed to activate a hidden page for Bundled notifications<\/a>, which is present at Settings > Notifications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The description on the page says that \u201cnotifications with similar themes will be silenced and grouped together for a quieter experience. Bundling will override an app\u2019s own notification settings.\u201d The bundled notifications feature will likely be powered by the Android System Intelligence app under the hood, which already processes notifications to hide sensitive content from the lock screen and from untrusted notification listeners.<\/p>\n Blocking old notifications<\/p>\n People who own and use multiple Android devices can relate to the notification flood that arrives whenever they boot up the less frequently used device. Right at boot, after the device establishes its internet connection, you\u2019ll receive all notifications that weren\u2019t delivered to this device, even if you have checked out the notifications from your other device.<\/p>\n Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 changed the way Android handles these older notifications<\/a>. The system now rejects notifications that are more than two weeks old. These older notifications will only show some details to let you know which apps or contacts to check up on, but they will no longer alert you with a sound or vibration, or even show the full notification contents.<\/p>\n If you are bothered by just how large the heads-up notifications can be when watching full-screen content, then Google is working on a solution. We spotted clues for compact heads-up notifications<\/a> in Android 15 Beta 4, and the feature became more widely available with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.<\/p>\n You can see the compact layout in the second set of notifications below.<\/p>\n Most of the text in the notification is truncated, and any embedded images are hidden by default until you tap the dropdown arrow to expand them. However, the notification icon, notification title, and reply button are still shown for messaging apps like Telegram.<\/p>\n Semi-transparent notifications<\/p>\n We spotted Google working on a new semi-transparent notifications<\/a> feature in Android 16 Beta 3 and managed to activate it. Specifically, heads-up notifications and notifications shown on the lock screen were now semi-transparent, whereas notifications in the notifications panel were unchanged.<\/p>\n Given that these semi-transparent notifications make content harder to read due to the lower contrast, there\u2019s a low chance that Google will actually roll out the design in any future release of Android, let alone Android 16. However, Google could choose to add some transparency to other areas of the UX.<\/p>\n Notification cooldown<\/p>\n Android 15 Developer Preview 1 included a feature called Notification cooldown<\/a>, located at Settings > Notifications > Notification cooldown<\/strong>. When enabled, this feature would gradually lower the volume of successive notifications coming from the same app. The feature prevents your phone from going off wildly when you receive a lot of notifications very quickly.<\/p>\n Compared to the previous iteration of the notification cooldown feature, the version that\u2019s live in Android 16 DP1 only lets you toggle it on or off. In the past, you could choose to apply a cooldown to all notifications or only conversation notifications. With this change, notifications from your most important contacts won\u2019t be silenced by the feature, so you won\u2019t miss any important messages.<\/p>\n Notification summary<\/p>\n We\u2019ve found strings within Android 16 Beta 3 that hint at a new \u201cnotification summaries<\/a>\u201d page. This \u201cnotification summaries\u201d page will be positioned between the existing notification history and the upcoming notification bundle options under Settings > Notifications<\/strong>. The new page will have a single toggle to enable the feature, labeled \u201cuse notification summaries.\u201d<\/p>\n The feature\u2019s description states that it will \u201cautomatically summarize conversation notifications from apps.\u201d Only messaging apps correctly categorize their notifications as conversation notifications, so only those would be AI summarized. The system will also let you exclude apps from having their notifications summarized.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear when the feature will arrive on Android. It might not make it to the stable Android 16 release, but come through on an Android 16 QPR release or even on Android 17.<\/p>\n Gemini-powered Notification \u201cMagic Actions\u201d<\/p>\n In 2018, Android 9 released Smart Reply, which provides suggested replies as tappable chips beneath a notification for quick responses. Android 10 expanded this with Smart Actions, offering contextual actions based on notification content. This Smart Actions feature powers the \u201cOpen Maps\u201d chip when a notification includes an address. Smart Replies and Smart Actions are powered by on-device machine learning models, but are limited to short, canned replies that might not fully appreciate the context.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve spotted evidence with Android 16 that suggests Google is developing a more advanced version of Smart Actions, dubbed \u201cMagic Actions<\/a>.\u201d When the Magic Action feature is enabled, Android will hide Smart Actions and instead prominently display a new Magic Action button. This button is slated to receive \u201cspecial visual treatment,\u201d possibly indicating a custom animation when it appears or is tapped. Speculatively, the feature could tap into Google\u2019s Gemini model to generate more personalized and powerful actions.<\/p>\n Starting with the changes, the new chips for screen recording and screencasting will give you a timer right in the status bar.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n They will also let you stop the screen recording or screencasting session without needing to pull down the status bar. Tapping on the chip will open a dialog that will let you stop the session.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a different icon now to indicate when a third-party app requests to record or cast the screen. The dialog more prominently asks you whether you want to \u201cshare your screen\u201d rather than \u201cstart recording or casting.\u201d<\/p>\n The experience is fairly functional, so we\u2019re hoping to see it go live for the wide platform with Android 16.<\/p>\n Quick Settings changes: Dual shade design, Categories, Resizing, and more<\/p>\n Quick Settings is in for an overhaul with Android 16. Starting off, Google is testing a new dual shade design<\/a> for Android 16 that separates the Quick Settings panels from the notification shade, which we managed to activate in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2.<\/p>\n Pulling down the status bar once still brings down the notifications panel like before, but the panel now takes up about a quarter of the screen rather than the entire thing. While you can\u2019t see any Quick Settings tiles anymore in the new notifications dropdown, you can see the app that\u2019s underneath the panel.<\/p>\n Pulling down the status bar a second time no longer brings down the Quick Settings panel. Instead, the Quick Settings panel is accessed by pulling down the status bar with two fingers.<\/p>\n After pulling the Quick Settings panel down, you can swipe left or right between pages to see all your tiles. The brightness bar still appears at the top, but now has a text label and shows the brightness level as you adjust it, similar to the new volume sliders in Android 15. Most Quick Settings tiles have been made smaller so more of them can fit on one page, which is a welcome change.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a video that demonstrates the new notification and Quick Settings panels described above:<\/p>\n Flexiglass is the internal codename for the rearchitecting that Google is doing to SystemUI to make it more stable.<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 3, we managed to activate the dual-page panel UI<\/a> to give you a fresher demo of it:<\/p>\n This build fixes several deficiencies present in previous builds. For instance, the media player is prominently present at the top. There are also two new ways to switch between the Notifications and Quick Settings panels. First, you can simply tap the chips at the top left and right to open the respective panels. Second, swiping down on the left side opens the notifications panel, while swiping down on the right opens the Quick Settings panel.<\/p>\n Google also made the Quick Settings panel vertically scrolling, allowing you to fill up the entire screen with tiles. It also added clear plus and minus buttons to each tile in the edit menu, making it easier to add or remove tiles from the panel.<\/p>\n Further, you\u2019ll notice that the clock is much larger<\/a> in the new beta. This clock also follows the same style that is set for the lock screen clock, changing as you change it.<\/p>\n With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, we spotted other changes. When the in-development Quick Settings panel is enabled, the Quick Settings tiles become resizable<\/a>. You can tap on any tile while in the editor view and then drag the dot left or right to shrink or expand it. Tiles can be either 1\u00d71 or 2\u00d71 in size, allowing you to fit as few as eight or as many as 16 tiles on a single page. You can resize any tile, even ones provided by third-party apps, though obviously, not every tile will have a useful description when it\u2019s expanded.<\/p>\n For comparison, here\u2019s an image that shows the default Quick Settings layout in Android 15 vs Android 16:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n And here\u2019s an image that shows some more Quick Settings panel layouts you\u2019ll be able to make thanks to this feature:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a short video that demonstrates how you\u2019ll be able to resize Quick Settings tiles in Android 16:<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 2, Google is making it more explicit that the Quick Settings editing interface isn\u2019t merely for resizing and rearranging icons. Large plus and minus symbols are now present<\/a> to make it abundantly clear that you can add and remove Quick Settings tiles.<\/p>\n In addition to these changes, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Quick Settings tiles could\u00a0once again become one-click toggles<\/a>. If you notice in the screenshots above, the tiles for these two settings aren\u2019t fully filled in for background color like the other tiles were. That is for a reason: tapping the icon would toggle the respective setting as it did in Android 14 while tapping the rest of the tile would open the panel as it does in Android 15.<\/p>\n Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1 also includes a new animation<\/a> when you long-press on the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Quick Settings tiles.<\/p>\n Alongside, Android 16 will also organize the Quick Settings tiles into categories<\/a>. We spotted strings within Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 that suggest the Quick Settings panel will organize tiles into at most seven different categories. These categories include Accessibility, Connectivity, Display, Privacy, Provided by apps, Unknown, and Utilities. They will appear in the Quick Settings editor, similar to what you can see below:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The system won\u2019t show categories for which you have already added the available tiles.<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s no way to swipe between the notifications and the Quick Settings panel.<\/p>\n Further, Google is also considering changes to the expanded behavior of the Internet and Bluetooth tiles<\/a>, going back to behavior found in relatively early Android versions. We managed to activate the change, wherein the Internet and Bluetooth tiles no longer popped out into floating panels but rather expanded to fill up the area within the Quick Settings panel, similar to how things worked in Android 5.1 to Android 8.1.<\/p>\n However, the feature is clearly still in development, as evidenced by the duplicated text and lack of data in the expanded tiles.<\/p>\n Google has confirmed several parts of this extensive Quick Settings redesign<\/a>, including the resizable tiles, one-click toggles for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, updated brightness slider, blurred background for the Quick Settings and notifications panel, and the updated tile editor. You can see the confirmed changes in the video below:<\/p>\n New \u201cVideo Chat\u201d panel for video call effects<\/p>\n Android 16 Beta 4 includes strings for a new Quick Settings tile called Video Chat<\/a>. The strings show that Android will support effects like background blur (which blurs your background environment), portrait relighting (which improves the lighting on your face), portrait touch-up (which retouches your face to remove imperfections), and studio-style mic (which suppresses background noise). For background blur, you\u2019ll have the option to apply a light blur or a full blur to the background. The portrait relighting, portrait touch-up, and studio-style mic effects are simple on\/off toggles.<\/p>\n We managed to activate the Video Chat Quick Settings tile and panel, and here\u2019s what it looks like:<\/p>\n These effects don\u2019t work yet. However, we expect these effects to work in any video chat app, as there would otherwise be little point in creating a dedicated Quick Settings panel for them.<\/p>\n New \u201cswitch users\u201d widget<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 2, Google has added a new multiuser widget called \u201cswitch users.\u201d<\/a> As the name implies, this widget lets you quickly switch users. It features large buttons that prominently show the user\u2019s profile picture, and there\u2019s also a button on the top right to open Android\u2019s multiuser settings page.<\/p>\n Android used to allow lock screen widgets in its early days, but the feature was removed in Android 5.0 Lollipop in 2014. Google has been working on bringing back lock screen widget support, and Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 finally adds them for the Pixel Tablet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n To access them, swipe inward from the right edge of the lock screen. Then, tap the \u201ccustomize\u201d card to open the widget editor, where you can add, remove, or reorder your widgets.<\/p>\n With Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1, we managed to activate a feature that lets you resize any lock screen widget<\/a> to take up an entire column. This will allow certain widgets to show more information at a glance, as demonstrated in the video embedded below:<\/p>\n These widgets are currently intended for tablets only, not phones. However, if you are curious, lock screen widgets will indeed come to phones<\/a>, too. Google has mentioned that lock screen widgets will be available in AOSP for tablets and mobile with the release of Android 16 QPR1, slated to arrive in late Summer 2025.<\/p>\n The feature isn\u2019t yet live, but we managed to activate it on Android 16 Beta 2.1 for a demo:<\/p>\n As you can see in the video above, lock screen widgets on phones will work differently than they do on tablets. The 2\u00d73 grid seen on tablets is too wide for the narrow displays of most phones, so Google\u2019s solution is to display one column of widgets at a time. More importantly, the \u201cglanceable hub\u201d isn\u2019t accessed by swiping inward from the right edge of the lock screen, as it is on tablets. Instead, it\u2019s accessed by triggering the screen saver by placing the phone on a charger or docking it and, in the future, by placing it upright on a stand.<\/p>\n Google says that OEMs can customize the mechanism that triggers the lock screen widget experience but not the interface itself.<\/p>\n Lock screen minimalism<\/p>\n We spotted a new feature within Android 15 QPR2 Beta that lets you declutter your lock screen without forcing you to unlock your phone to see your notifications. This feature is called lock screen notification minimalism<\/a> and, when it goes live, can be found under Settings > Notifications<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The lock screen notification minimalism feature seems to hide everything but the icons for notifications. Here\u2019s a comparison of what the lock screen looks like before and after the lock screen notification minimalism feature is enabled:<\/p>\n When this setting is enabled, however, only the app icon is shown in a small pill below the clock. Tapping this pill expands the notifications panel so you can see the entire content of each notification. While this lock screen notification minimalism feature does make it slightly less convenient to see your notifications, it significantly declutters your lock screen so you can see the beautiful wallpaper you set for it.<\/p>\n This lock screen notification minimalism feature has been removed from the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 3 build. In its place is a new \u201ccompact\u201d notification layout option for the lock screen<\/a>. This new setting can be found in the Settings app under the Notifications on lock screen<\/strong> settings. Previously, notifications on the lock screen were a dialog that lets you choose whether to show all notification content, hide all notification content, or show sensitive content only when unlocked, but Google is turning it into a page with more options.<\/p>\n On the new page, you can choose to have new notifications collapsed into a shelf on your lock screen (the \u201ccompact\u201d option) or shown in a full list (the \u201cfull list\u201d option). The description for the full list option, which states that it\u2019s the \u201ccurrent default placement,\u201d suggests that Android 16 won\u2019t force the new compact layout on users.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve spotted a flag within Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 that possibly enables another way to invoke Gemini, this time through a lock screen button<\/a>. This flag controls the presence of a button on the lock screen that, when tapped, doesn\u2019t do anything right now but could likely trigger the AI assistant (given the sparkle icon).<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The button is pill-shaped and sits right below the fingerprint reader. It\u2019s larger than the two lock screen shortcuts at the bottom and has a sparkle icon in the middle.<\/p>\n Since this change was spotted with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 intended for Pixel devices, it could be incorporated into future versions of the Android platform.<\/p>\n More recently, with Android 16 Developer Preview 2, Google has made Keep a system app<\/a>, meaning users cannot easily uninstall it. While Google could have other reasons for doing so, this change could also be a step forward for the lock screen note-taking feature.<\/p>\n Redesigned lock screen<\/p>\n In addition to all the above features, Google is also working on a redesigned layout for the lock screen<\/a>, which looks cleaner than the current one when populated.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what the current lock screen looks like:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we managed to activate in Android 16 Beta 4:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Primarily, this lock screen redesign relocates the At a Glance widget\u2019s complications. The date and weather complications move below the clock when it\u2019s centered and to the right of the clock when it\u2019s at the top. The informational complication is now separate, sitting at the top when there are no notifications and below the clock when notifications are present.<\/p>\n While the lockscreen itself is fully functional, i<\/p>\n Stash notification bubbles<\/p>\n Google introduced the Bubbles API with Android 11 in 2020, allowing messaging apps to open conversations in a floating window. The floating window sits on top of other apps so you can quickly see or respond to messages from your favorite contacts. When you\u2019re done chatting, you can minimize the floating window, which turns it into a small, floating icon that you can later tap to restore the window.<\/p>\n Bubbles are either always fully visible or hidden, with no in-between state. We managed to activate a third state in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, referred to as \u201cstashing.\u201d Bubble stashing<\/a> lets you stash these notification bubbles to the side of the screen when they are not in use.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n This partially minimizes the bubble icon, so it takes up less space on the screen. Since this change was spotted with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 intended for Pixel devices, it could be incorporated into future versions of the Android platform. While the Bubbles feature mentioned above is great, it only works for conversation notifications and can be opted out, so many apps don\u2019t support it. However, in theory, most Android apps should work just fine when placed inside a floating window. Code within Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 suggests Google is testing this theory, as it includes references to a \u201cbubble anything<\/a>\u201d feature.<\/p>\n Once activated, the Pixel Launcher adds a \u201cbubble\u201d button to the context menu that appears when you press and hold on any app on the home screen. Tapping this button opens the app \u2014 no matter what it is \u2014 in a floating bubble, as you can see below.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a video demonstrating what Android\u2019s new \u201cbubble anything\u201d feature combined with the upcoming bubble bar<\/a> will look like on tablets:<\/p>\n Since this change was spotted with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 intended for Pixel devices, it could be incorporated into future versions of the Android platform.<\/p>\n The bubble bar on phones will allow users to switch between more than two apps. The expanded bubble bar only shows the five most recently opened bubbles, though the bubble overflow menu does list other, previously opened bubbles. Google is also developing different categories of bubbles: chat, note, app, and shortcut. These categories will determine whether an app badge is displayed.<\/p>\n Do Not Disturb mode changes, introduction of Priority mode, and renaming to Modes<\/p>\n Google is working to supercharge Android\u2019s Do Not Disturb mode with a new Priority mode<\/a>. We spotted extensive clues within Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1, indicating that Google is planning to rename the Do Not Disturb mode entry point, tweak its UI, add a new Quick Settings tile, and introduce many other customization options.<\/p>\n The new DND mode UI that we activated has new toggles to enable grayscale mode, disable the always-on display, dim the wallpaper, and enable the dark theme. These four options take advantage of the new ZenDeviceEffects API.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The scheduling options from DND mode are being transferred to a custom Priority Mode. This new Priority Modes menu lets you create a fully custom DND mode schedule with its own name, icon, activation trigger, display settings, and notification settings.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n If you\u2019re worried about DND taking two taps to activate, we\u2019ve spotted clues in Android 16 Beta 4 that indicate that Google is also working on a new, dedicated Do Not Disturb mode tile<\/a> specifically for toggling it. This new tile looks and functions exactly like the original one did before Android 15 QPR2 introduced the Modes panel. Importantly, this new dedicated Do Not Disturb tile will exist alongside the current Modes tile. This means users can choose to add the new dedicated Do Not Disturb tile, keep the existing Modes tile, use both, or use neither in their Quick Settings.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a new Quick Settings tile for the Priority Mode, which co-exists alongside the DND mode tile.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, Google changed some behaviors related to Priority mode<\/a> and also gave us a deeper look. The Quick Settings tile opens a dialog that lets you quickly choose which Priority Modes to enable and tells you how many are enabled, if any.<\/p>\n The updates to the Priority Modes menu in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 starts with the new intro screen for the preexisting modes, Event and Sleeping. Currently, though, the graphic used for each intro screen is a placeholder, but Google will likely update these in a future release. Another change to the menu in QPR1 Beta 2 is the new UI for customizing the activation trigger and notification settings. In addition, the mode icon now lights up when it\u2019s turned on.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Google has also added many new icons to choose from when creating a custom Priority Mode. While you can\u2019t upload your own icon, Android now offers 40 icons to choose from in QPR1 Beta 2.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n In Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, \u201cPriority Modes\u201d has been rebranded to just \u201cModes<\/a>.\u201d Google also added an icon in the status bar, lock screen, and AOD to correspond to the current mode that is enabled, making it much easier to tell at a glance.<\/p>\n Google also slightly tweaked the UI for the dialog that appears when you tap the Quick Settings tile. Modes are now displayed in a single-column, vertically scrolling list instead of a dual-column list.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Another small tweak is that the Quick Settings tile itself now displays the icon of the first mode that you enable. It also shows the name of the first mode but switches to the number of modes active if more than one is enabled. Speaking of which, if you ever have more than one mode enabled, then only the first one\u2019s icon will appear on the status bar, lock screen, and AOD.<\/p>\n Since this change was spotted with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3 intended for Pixel devices, it will be incorporated into future versions of the Android platform.<\/p>\n Time zone change notification<\/p>\n Your Android phone can automatically adjust the time when you enter a new time zone. However, you are not notified of such a change.<\/p>\n In Android 16 Beta 1, we spotted strings for a new \u201ctime zone change<\/a>\u201d feature that will appear under Settings > System > Date & time<\/strong>. The description says that the feature will let you \u201creceive a notification when your time zone is automatically updated.\u201d<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The notification\u2019s title will explain that \u201cyour time zone changed,\u201d and the body will include exactly what time zone you\u2019re now in.<\/p>\n Better split-screen multitasking on phones<\/p>\n Android\u2019s split screen feature lets you display two apps side-by-side, either in a 50:50 ratio (i.e.,\u00a0divided evenly in half) or in a 70:30 ratio. With the release of Android 16 DP2, Google quietly updated the code for Android\u2019s split-screen mode to support a 90:10 ratio<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n This change has the potential to offer several benefits. The 90:10 ratio is ideal for focusing on one app while keeping another open for quick reference. Tapping the smaller app window instantly enlarges it. While the existing 70:30 split offers similar functionality in theory, on smaller Android phone screens, the 70% portion can still feel cramped, while the 30% portion might be larger than necessary. Having a 90:10 option just adds greater flexibility.<\/p>\n Three-way split-screen multitasking on tablets<\/p>\n In Android 16 Developer Preview 2, we spotted code for an in-development \u201cflexible\u201d split-screen mode<\/a>\u00a0and managed to activate it partially for the preview below:<\/p>\n This mode could work similarly to OnePlus Open\u2019s Open Canvas feature, which lets you run up to three apps side-by-side. Two apps share 90% of the screen, and the third occupies the remaining 10%.<\/p>\n The genius of Open Canvas is that, while the third app is usually far too small to be usable, it can be quickly enlarged by tapping anywhere on the app window. Tapping like that shifts the screen so that the leftmost app now takes up 10% of the screen while the middle and rightmost apps take up the remaining 90%. You 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.<\/p>\n It remains to be seen if Google implements all the gestures as Open Canvas.<\/p>\n More improvements to the screen recording system<\/p>\n Android 16 could improve the screen recorder and screen caster indicator chips<\/a>. We spotted and activated the change in Android 15 Beta 4.2, but the changes could arrive on Android 15 in a future QPR release and, thus, on the wider platform with Android 16. The chips also became more widely available in QPR1 Beta 2, indicating a probable release for the QPR update and then on Android 16.<\/p>\n For one, the new chips for screen recording and screencasting will give you a timer right in the status bar.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n They will also let you stop the screen recording or screencasting session without needing to pull down the status bar. Tapping on the chip will open a dialog that will let you stop the session.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a different icon now to indicate when a third-party app requests to record or cast the screen. The dialog more prominently asks you whether you want to \u201cshare your screen\u201d rather than \u201cstart recording or casting.\u201d<\/p>\n The experience is fairly functional, but it remains anyone\u2019s guess when it actually arrives. With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, the system stops screen shares<\/a> initiated by third-party apps when you lock the device.<\/p>\n App switcher during partial screen sharing<\/p>\n Android 15 introduces a more private screen recording system that lets you record or cast a single app instead of your entire screen. However, if you need to change the app you are recording or casting, you have to end the current session and start a new one.<\/p>\n We spotted a flag within Android 15\u2019s source code that enables a \u201ctask switcher feature for partial screen sharing<\/a>.\u201d After enabling this flag, when you start screen recording or screen casting an app and then switch to a different app, a new notification appears.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n This notification informs the user that \u201csharing pauses when you switch apps.\u201d The notification has two buttons: \u201cShare this app instead\u201d and \u201cSwitch back.\u201d Tapping \u201cswitch back\u201d launches the app with which the screen recording or casting session was started. Tapping \u201cshare this app instead\u201d does nothing, though, as it appears the task switcher feature for partial screen sharing isn\u2019t fully functional yet. It\u2019s possible that this feature could get activated for Android 16.<\/p>\n Redesigned media output switcher<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 4, we found code for a redesigned media output switcher<\/a>. This panel pops out when you tap the chip in the top right of any media playback notification.<\/p>\n Below is the current UI for the media output switcher, as seen in\u00a0Android 15 on a Pixel device:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n In contrast, here\u2019s the new UI for the media output switcher that Google is experimenting with in Android 16 Beta 4:<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n The \u201cconnect a device\u201d button has moved from the bottom of the list to just below the media info at the top. Second, the slider controlling the volume for the current output device has been tweaked. Instead of a thick, pill-shaped slider with the device name enclosed within, it\u2019s now a thinner, continuous slider with the device name placed above the handle. The slider also shows a more appropriate icon for connected devices \u2014 in this case, a pair of earbuds. Lastly, the large pill enclosing each device under \u201cSpeakers & Displays\u201d is gone, the only downgrade in this redesign.<\/p>\n Contacts Storage page for backing up contacts<\/p>\n Android has long allowed you to back up your contacts to your Google account, but Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 includes code that indicates Google could be working on adding a dedicated Contacts Storage page<\/a> to centralize the setting. This page will contain toggles to choose which account to sync contacts to, a button to add an account, and a toggle to disable contact syncing entirely.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Corner swipe gesture for invoking the default assistant<\/p>\n With the introduction of Circle to Search, Google hijacked the long-press home button gesture (when using the three-button navigation system) from invoking the default assistant and made it launch the Circle to Search feature instead. Even if you disabled Circle to Search, you won\u2019t get the gesture back on the three-button navigation system.<\/p>\n Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 includes code for a new corner swipe gesture<\/a> that will let you invoke the default assistant even when using three-button navigation.<\/p>\n As you can see, you will have to swipe diagonally inwards from the corner to launch your device\u2019s default assistant.<\/p>\n Android lets you navigate its UI using keyboard shortcuts. Because there are so many keyboard shortcuts available, Android also has a dedicated menu listing them.<\/p>\n To help make the keyboard shortcut menu easier to use on tablets, Google could add the menu to the side navigation rail<\/a>. We found code for this in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2, and here\u2019s what it would look like:<\/p>\n The redesigned keyboard shortcut menu should thus be easier to use on tablets since the shortcut categories will be closer to the left edge of the display. Since the change was spotted in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 intended for Pixel devices, it could be incorporated into future versions of the Android platform.<\/p>\n In Android 16 Beta 1, we spotted code that indicates that Google could add a button to the existing keyboard shortcut menu to launch a new customization mode<\/a>. This mode will allow you to assign shortcuts to key combinations that are not already in use. With Android 16 Beta 2, this keyboard shortcut customization feature is live<\/a>, and here\u2019s the feature in action:<\/p>\n Touchpad gesture tutorial<\/p>\n We spotted a new tutorial for touchpad gestures<\/a> in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2. Google has created custom animations that explain how some of Android\u2019s touchpad gestures work. These animations simulate the gesture used to go back (swiping left or right with three fingers), the gesture to go home (swiping up with three fingers), and the gesture to open the app drawer (pressing the action key on the keyboard).<\/p>\n It also created a notification that appears when the user connects a touchpad for the first time, inviting them to try the gestures.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Although Android also supports gestures to open the recent apps screen (swiping up with three fingers, then holding), open the notifications panel (swiping down with three fingers), and switch between apps (swiping left or right with four fingers), the tutorial in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 doesn\u2019t mention all of these. It\u2019s likely that Google isn\u2019t finished with this tutorial just yet and that it will be updated in a future beta.<\/p>\n Since the change was spotted in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 intended for Pixel devices, it could be incorporated into future versions of the Android platform.<\/p>\n PC-like external display management features<\/p>\n Google is testing new external display management tools in Android 16 that bring Android closer to other desktop OSes. Android has a few issues when extending the screen from an Android phone to an external display \u2014 the mouse is fixed to one screen and can\u2019t be moved between displays, and Android doesn\u2019t let you switch between mirroring the screen and extending it, forcing you to tweak developer options and then reconnect the phone to change display modes.<\/p>\n To address the first issue, Google is enabling mouse cursor transitions across connected displays and adding the ability to rearrange them. The solution to the second issue is to add a toggle that switches between mirroring the built-in display and extending it. We managed to enable both of these PC-like external display management features<\/a> in Android 16 Beta 2.1:<\/p>\n We\u2019ve also spotted a new \u2018Enable desktop experience features\u2019 option that will soon appear in developer options to let you enable\u00a0Desktop View on secondary displays<\/a>. These desktop experience features can likely be enabled on secondary displays only or on both the device and secondary displays. We managed to enable the button in Android 16 Beta 3\u00a0but couldn\u2019t get the feature itself to work.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Android\u2019s Desktop Mode<\/p>\n With Android 16 Beta 4, we managed to activate Android\u2019s desktop mode<\/a>. Given the feature\u2019s unfinished state, we expect it to arrive either with a later Android 16 QPR release or with Android 17.<\/p>\n Compared to the current, barebones desktop interface that appears when you connect a Pixel device to an external display, Android\u2019s new desktop mode actually displays the taskbar and status bar. The taskbar is a big addition, as it provides access to your pinned apps and a better version of the app drawer. The taskbar can also show recent apps while in desktop mode, making it easier to multitask.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also possible to launch multiple apps in floating windows simultaneously using the new desktop mode. Further, you can freely move, resize, or snap windows to the side, just like on desktop operating systems. This makes it easy to drag and drop content from one app to another, provided the apps you\u2019re using support drag-and-drop.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n There\u2019s more work to be done on this feature, so we expect to learn more in the coming months.<\/p>\n \u201cPostured\u201d trigger for screen saver<\/p>\n Android offers two ways to trigger the screen saver: while charging, or while docked and charging. The first option activates the screen saver whenever the device is charging, regardless of how or its physical state. The second option activates it only when the device is both charging and docked.<\/p>\n Android relies on the dock itself to pass along the docking state information, but unfortunately, many charging stands aren\u2019t recognized as docks. Users have to thus use the charging trigger, which also gets triggered when the device is laid flat on a bedside dock, for example.<\/p>\n With Android 16, Google could introduce a new screen saver trigger called \u201cpostured,\u201d<\/a> which requires the device to be sitting upright, not flat. This would solve the problem of the screen saver triggering when the device is charging while laid flat on a table, as the screen saver will basically only activate when the device is upright and charging on a stand.<\/p>\n Trade-in mode for ADB<\/p>\n Trade-ins can take a lot of time, partially because every phone that has been traded in needs to be inspected. Non-functional devices are easy to inspect since they either have cracks that disqualify them or do not boot up, but functional devices need to be booted up and run through a series of tests to confirm that they are functioning properly. In order for the tests to run, the device needs to go through the setup screen like a brand-new phone and then enable ADB debugging, which is buried deep in the Settings menu. While most of these screens can be skipped in the setup, it still adds up time, but enabling ADB debugging cannot be avoided.<\/p>\n Android 16 could add a new trade-in mode<\/a> to ADB<\/a>, which would allow a very limited version of ADB to be available to Android devices right on the first screen of the setup wizard. This will make it easier for technicians to run automated diagnostics for device inspections.<\/p>\n The setup wizard will enable ADB trade-in mode and will disable it after setup has been completed. The technician can use ADB trade-in mode to put the device into an \u201cevaluation mode\u201d and bypass the setup, but it will also force a factory reset on the next boot. Alternatively, another command can be run to retrieve diagnostic information about the device and see if it passes an attestation challenge.<\/p>\n Secure Lock<\/p>\n We spotted a new permission in Android 16 related to a new feature called Secure Lock<\/a>. Secure Lock is an enhanced security mode that can be activated remotely. In this mode, unlocking the device requires both your primary lock screen credential and your biometrics. Additionally, features such as app notifications, widgets, Quick Settings, and the digital assistant are restricted to prevent sensitive data leaks.<\/p>\n This Secure Lock system permission is likely going to be granted to the Google Play Services app, which contains Google\u2019s Find My Device service.<\/p>\n New Terminal app to run Linux apps in a virtual machine<\/p>\n Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 added a new \u201cLinux development environment\u201d toggle in Developer Settings, that lets you \u201crun [a] Linux terminal on Android.\u201d After enabling this option, a new Terminal app<\/a> appears in the app list.<\/p>\n The Terminal app will download, configure, run, and interface with an instance of Debian (a popular Linux distribution) in a virtual machine. This will seemingly let developers run Linux apps on their Android devices<\/a> through a virtual machine. We\u2019ve played around with the feature and even managed to run Doom on Android 16\u2019s Linux Terminal<\/a>. With Android 16 Beta 4, Google uncapped the disk resize slider in the Linux Terminal app\u2019s settings, letting users resize the disk<\/a> to occupy most of the host device\u2019s storage. We\u2019ve even managed to improve memory availability<\/a> since the app is limited to 4GB of RAM, which can be insufficient for developers.<\/p>\n Dedicated \u201cSupervision\u201d page for certain parental controls<\/p>\n Google offers the \u201cFamily Link\u201d parental control suite that makes it easy to create a managed Google Account for your child with explicit content filters enabled in Chrome and Google Search. The Family Link app provides a centralized hub for managing your child\u2019s online activities, and you can easily access it either through the dedicated Android app or within Android\u2019s Digital Wellbeing settings.<\/p>\n To enable device supervision, you must enter a new PIN for the supervised account. Once you enable supervision, you can then activate web content filters for that account. By default, the system allows all websites and search results, but you can change these settings to block explicit sites in Chrome and explicit images, text, and links in Search. While these content filters won\u2019t block all explicit content, they should effectively hide most inappropriate material on the web.<\/p>\n Parallel Module Loading<\/p>\n Google is making a change that speeds up an early part of the Android OS\u2019s multi-stage initialization process. The stage in question happens after the Linux kernel is loaded, and it sets up the basic environment necessary for the later stages of the boot process to take place.<\/p>\n During this stage, Android loads essential kernel modules, which are pieces of code that extend the kernel\u2019s functionality and which can be loaded and unloaded on demand. Google is proposing a change called Parallel Module Loading<\/a> to tweak how Android loads these modules. This would remove a bottleneck that previously existed, resulting in a noticeable improvement in module loading times. It remains to be seen how much of this improvement users will be able to experience in boot times, if at all they are noticeable.<\/p>\n![\"android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/android-16-eating-baklava-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android-16-release-timeline.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
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<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Google_Maps_Live_Updates_status_bar_chips.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
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![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/New_language_measurement_and_region_settings_Android_16.jpg\"\/ "\\"New")
<\/p>\n![\"Advanced](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Advanced-Protection-settings-in-Android-16.png\"\/ "\\"Advanced")
Advanced Protection settings page in Android.![\"Advanced](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Advanced-Protection-settings-in-Android-16-continued.png\"\/ "\\"Advanced")
Advanced Protection settings page in Android (continued).<\/p>\n\n
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Currently, only Pixel and Samsung phones have this feature, as it requires changes to an underlying biometric prompt code. Since this is part of a non-updatable OS component, the feature requires an OS update to arrive on more devices.<\/p>\n\n
![\"android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/android-16-official-logo-6-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"android"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"Factory](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Factory-reset-protection-dialog-telling-user-to-factory-reset-again.png\"\/ "\\"Factory")
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![\"Old](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Old_vs_new_Pixel_Launcher_app_drawer_with_blur_in_Android.jpg\"\/ "\\"Old")
<\/p>\n![\"Desktop](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Desktop-windowing-on-the-Pixel-Tablet-with-Android-15-QPR-1-Beta-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"Desktop")
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Calculator and Files by Google both open![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_taskbar_icon_when_one_window_is_minimized.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android"){kind=icon}
Calculator window minimized while Files by Google is open<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android-14-settings-e1726171863756.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
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Redesigned Settings home page in Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_16_expressive_Settings_design_in_light_1.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
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<\/p>\n![\"Expressive](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Expressive_top_level_Settings_light_design_in_Android_16_Beta_4.png\"\/ "\\"Expressive")
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<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_even_dimmer_toggle_in_display.png\"\/ "\\"Android")
Settings > Display![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_even_dimmer_toggle_in_accessibility_settings_2.png\"\/ "\\"Android")
Settings > Accessibility<\/p>\n![\"Bundled](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Bundled_notification_settings_in_Android.jpg\"\/ "\\"Bundled")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_2_notification_13_days_old.png\"\/ "\\"Android")
13 day old notification![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_2_notification_14_days_old.png\"\/ "\\"Android")
14 day old notificationCompact heads-up notifications<\/p>\n![\"Notification](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Notification_settings_in_Android_16_DP1.jpg\"\/ "\\"Notification")
![\"Notification](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Notification_cooldown_in_Android_16_DP1.jpg\"\/ "\\"Notification")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_screen_sharing_chips.png\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_sharing_screen_3P_app.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_sharing_app_3P_app.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_vs_Android_16_Quick_Settings_panel.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_16_Quick_Settings_panel_at_different_sizes_2.png\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_3_Quick_Settings_categories.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_Video_Chat_tile_on_and_off.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
![\"Effects](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Effects_available_in_Android_Video_Chat_tile.jpg\"\/ "\\"Effects")
<\/p>\n![\"Multiuser](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multiuser_widget_in_widget_picker.jpg\"\/ "\\"Multiuser")
![\"Multiuser](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Multiuser_widget_on_home_screen.jpg\"\/ "\\"Multiuser")
Lock screen widgets<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_2_lock_screen_widgets.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR2_Beta_1_without_lock_screen_notification_minimalism.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
Without lock screen notification minimalism![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR2_Beta_1_with_lock_screen_notification_minimalism.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
With lock screen notification minimalism<\/p>\n![\"Notifications](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Notifications_on_lock_screen_settings_in_Android_15_QPR2_B3_a.jpg\"\/ "\\"Notifications")
![\"Notifications](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Notifications_on_lock_screen_settings_in_Android_15_QPR2_B3_b.jpg\"\/ "\\"Notifications")
<\/p>\n![\"Compact](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Compact_notification_shelf_Android_15_QPR2_B3.jpg\"\/ "\\"Compact")
Compact notification shelf![\"Full](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Full_notification_shown_on_lock_screen_in_Android_15_QPR2_B3.jpg\"\/ "\\"Full")
Full list of notificationsGemini button on the lock screen<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_2_close_up_of_AI_button_on_lock_screen.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Current](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Current_Lock_Screen_At_A_Glance_Layout.jpg\"\/ "\\"Current")
<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/New_Lock_Screen_At_A_Glance_Layout.jpg\"\/ "\\"New")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_bubble_stashing.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n
\nOpen any app in a floating bubble<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_new_do_not_disturb_UI-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_custom_priority_mode.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_priority_modes_QS_tile.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_2_updated_priority_modes_UI-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_2_creating_custom_priority_mode.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_3_Modes_icon_in_status_bar.png\"\/ "\\"Android"){kind=icon}
![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_3_Modes_icon_in_lock_screen.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR1_Beta_3_Modes.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Time](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Time_zone_change_toggle_in_Android_16_Beta_1.jpg\"\/ "\\"Time")
<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/New_90_10_split_screen_ratio_in_Android.jpg\"\/ "\\"New")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_partial_screen_sharing_switch_apps.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Current](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Current_media_output_switcher_design_in_Android.png\"\/ "\\"Current")
<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/New_media_output_switcher_design_in_Android.jpg\"\/ "\\"New")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_15_QPR2_Beta_1_contacts_storage_w.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"SystemUI](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SystemUI_notification_for_touchpad_tutorial.png\"\/ "\\"SystemUI")
<\/p>\n![\"Enable](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Enable_desktop_experience_features_in_Android_16.png\"\/ "\\"Enable")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747419459_779_Android_desktop_mode_app_drawer-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Android_desktop_mode_status_bar_pulled_down-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1747419462_931_Android_desktop_mode_windows_side_by_side-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Android")
<\/p>\n![\"Supervision](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Supervision_settings_in_Android_16_Beta_4.png\"\/ "\\"Supervision")
![\"Web](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Web_content_filters_under_supervision_settings_in_Android_16_Beta_4.png\"\/ "\\"Web")
<\/p>\n