Google rolled out the first public beta of Android 16, brought live updates on your phone’s lockscreen

The first public beta dynamic notification of Android 16 is being released with better support for foldable and the ability to change the app size. A complete release is expected in the second quarter.

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Google rolled out the first public beta of Android 16, brought live updates on your phone’s lockscreen

Google has launched the first public beta of Android 16, giving the initial candidates a chance to see what is in the next version of the company’s operating system. This release comes with some large updates, including dynamic information for live activities and a push to ensure that apps foldable and do better work on a large screen like tablet.

One of the extraordinary features in Android 16 is called a live update, designed to help users to keep an eye on the ongoing activities such as riding, food distribution and navigation. Think of it as the answer to Android for live activities of Apple introduced in 2022. However, the version of Google is more concentrated. Unlike Apple’s approach – which supports everything from sports scores to shopping updates – live updates of Android currently work with progress trackers for specific apps only.

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Interestingly, Samsung displayed a similar feature during the launch of its Galaxy S25 phone during the Galaxy Unpacked. Now Bar named, Samsung’s live notification appears as a floating bar under the lock screen and supports various app types including sports updates. In contrast, the live updates of Android 16 are pinned at the top of the standard notification stack, keeping the live update of Android in conformity with the simple design of Android.

Android 16 public beta also brings a change that aims to improve apps working on various screen sized devices. Developers will now have to make their apps changeable, ensuring that they can walk uninterrupted on tablets and foldable phones. This means that the apps will open in full-screen on the larger display and allow users to do more easily multitasks. For now, developers can get out of this requirement, but until Android 17 in 2026, size change apps will become mandatory. However, sports are exempted from this rule.

In addition to these changes, Android 16 is also adding other features, such as Advanced Professional Video (APV) support for codec, better vertical text rendering and visual identification in camera apps to automatically enable night mode. These features are based on the improvements introduced in the first developer beta, such as a rich haptic control, a more sophisticated photo picker menu and health -connected app to safely share medical data in all apps.

Another interesting development is Google’s working on her Gemini AI Assistant. Gemini now supports the multi-app prompt, although compatibility is currently limited to Google’s apps, some Samsung apps and third-party platforms such as Spotify and WhatsApp. Google soon promises extensive support.

Android 16 public beta is available from today for Pixel 6 and new devices as well as Pixel Tablet. If you are not ready to get into beta software, you will not have to wait for a long time. Google plans to release the steady version of Android 16 by Q2 this year, which is long before the launch schedule of its normal summer end.

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