Google has set up the first Android 16 public genus Beta and is introducing a couple of major new features , include a Live Updates feature that ’s akin to its iOS vis-a-vis , and better reinforcement for full - screen apps on foldable telephone set .
The Android 16 genus Beta 1 update , which is available forPixel phoneowners from today , is the first of four public beta versions coming this year onward of what Google is call will be a muchmore quick sack in 2025 .
Let ’s take a look at the two major consumer - facing features Google is announcing today …
Live Updates
hot Updates sounds a spate like Apple ’s lock screenLive Activitiesthat have been around since iOS 16.1 launch in late 2022
“ Live Updates are a new class of notice that help drug user supervise and cursorily access crucial ongoing action , ” Google says in thepostannouncing the release on January 23 .
It ’s likely that the characteristic will , like the Apple version , enable substance abuser to go after sports score , deliveries , pending arrival of drive part cars , map directions , and more without opening their phones , let alone the required app .
Samsung also denote a like feature calledNow Barduring its Galaxy S25 launching on January 22 . However , Samsung ’s interlingual rendition feels like a more advanced version . It uses Galaxy AI takes musical note of user ’s personal context to predict the selective information they ’d like to see .
We await the opportunity to see Google ’s feature in military action and whether it too has some Google Gemini magic .
Improved adaptive apps
Google is making it easier for apps to fill the show real estate available to them by “ phasing out the ability for apps to restrict cover orientation and resizability on gravid screens , ” which intend no more letterboxing .
It ’s not yet clear how this is function to work in terms of data formatting , but it seem the burden will be on developers to ensure they support more face ratio .
Google adds : “ … you should check your apps to insure your existing UIs scurf seamlessly , working well across portrait and landscape painting aspect ratios . We ’re providing frameworks , tooling , and libraries to avail . ”
Opinion
As the Android 16 genus Beta process uphold we ’ll see more novel features introduced . other versions tend to focus on the tool developer need to get their apps ready than the consumer focalise functionality . We usually do n’t hear about the exciting stuff Google has been work out on in theater until Google I / O , which normally takes stead in May .
