The first public beta version of Android 16 has been released – with “chips” from iOS and increased security

Google has released the first public beta version of the Android 16 software platform, which is available to participants in the testing program. The developers have added a new class of notifications to the operating system, improved the adaptability of applications and made a number of less noticeable changes.

Image source: Denny Müller / unsplash.com

First of all, it should be noted the emergence of a new class of Live Updates notifications designed to track the status of ongoing events. In general, this is an analogue of Live Activities notifications that appeared in iOS in 2022. Live Updates notifications are updated in real time and allow you to receive relevant information about ongoing events, for example, about the process of order delivery from a cafe.

Samsung added a similar feature called Now Bar to One UI 7, its user interface that will be used in the Galaxy S25 smartphones. While Samsung and Apple’s version of the notification system supports a range of apps and notification types, including sports scores, Android 16’s implementation of such notifications isn’t as useful yet. Users can use Live Updates to track restaurant orders, interact with navigation apps, and more.

Image source: Google

Another important innovation in Android 16 was the restriction of the ability of developers to block the size and orientation of their application windows. The change is intended to ensure apps “run seamlessly” “regardless of the screen size or form factor” of the device. Simply put, Android 16 will open apps in full screen mode on large screen devices like tablets, even if there are some restrictions on the size of app windows and their orientation. At the moment, this does not apply to games, but by the release of Android 17 in 2026, developers will also have to take this innovation into account.

Among other noticeable innovations, we note the support of the Advanced Professional Video codec support, which is designed to record and post -quality high -quality rollers. Also, Google added API, with which developers will be able to improve adaptation of applications for the camera to weak light conditions. Google also confirmed the work on the addition of new functions for the Gemini AI assistant, which at this stage can interact only with the company’s own applications, some Samsung applications and a number of other products, including Spotify and WhatsApp.

The beta version of Android 16 is available for installation on all Google Pixel smartphones, starting with the Pixel 6. A stable version of the software platform is expected to be released in the second quarter of this year.