Android 16 has arrived with iPhone-style Live Updates

Android 16 is officially here, and it includes Google’s instrumentality connected the iPhone’s Live Activities. On Tuesday, Google announced that Live Updates are rolling retired archetypal with ride-share and nutrient transportation apps, allowing you to way the advancement of your thrust oregon transportation with persistent, real-time notifications.

Google archetypal started working connected Live Updates past year earlier rolling the diagnostic retired in beta successful January. We could soon spot Live Updates spell beyond ride-share and nutrient transportation apps, too, arsenic users besides spotted Google Maps utilizing unrecorded updates for navigation successful the Android 16 beta. Live Updates volition look successful the Now Bar connected Samsung devices, and successful Live Alerts connected Oppo and OnePlus phones.

Android 16 volition besides cleanable up your wide notification drawer by automatically grouping alerts from the aforesaid app.

Another update aims to amended telephone prime for radical wearing proceeding immunodeficiency with their device. Right now, Google says astir LE proceeding devices usage their front-facing microphones for audio input, though these mics are meant to prime up the dependable of radical speaking to you alternatively than your ain voice. If you’re wearing proceeding immunodeficiency portion connected a call, you tin present power to utilizing your phone’s microphone instead. Android 16 includes autochthonal power for proceeding devices, which lets you set volume, acceptable a default microphone for calls, and more.

Additionally, you tin present alteration Advanced Protection — a feature that protects at-risk users from harmful apps, unsafe websites, online attacks, and much — connected your phone. Google is readying the motorboat of its DeX-like desktop acquisition for Android with customized keyboard shortcuts, too, which developers tin statesman investigating starting contiguous earlier a wider rollout aboriginal this year.

Google besides announced respective different smaller but notable updates coming to its apps. That includes the quality to acceptable a customized icon for RCS radical chats successful Google Messages, and mute notifications connected radical chats for circumstantial durations. Google is bringing a redesigned exertion to Photos to much devices arsenic well, on with a mode to adhd much clip to your Safety Check.

Meanwhile, Google Home is getting an update that should marque it easier to negociate astute location products from antithetic places, arsenic it volition present fto you make shortcuts for circumstantial devices for Favorites successful Google Home. That means you tin pin your information cameras to your Google TV, oregon pin your thermostat controls to your Wear OS smartwatch. If you person a Wear OS watch, you’ll present beryllium capable to pat metropolis transit cards without opening your Google Wallet app, too.

Android 16 volition rotation retired Pixel devices first, portion more Material 3 Expressive plan updates volition caput to Android 16 and Wear OS 6 connected Pixel devices aboriginal this year.