After months of speculation and beta testing, Google is rolling out Android 16 starting today. The new software will arrive first on Pixel phones, but you can expect to see updates on other phones in the coming weeks—or more likely months.
For those with Pixel devices, the OTA should begin appearing soon. If you just can't wait, Google will have system images and update files on its developer pages. You probably don't need to get up in arms about potential delays, though. Like other recent Android updates, there aren't many changes bundled into this version. Many of the most interesting changes are coming later this year.
Android 16 has landed
Despite the light feature set at launch, there are a few things of note. Right at the top of the list is a cleaner notification shade. Google launched bundled notifications in Android 7.0 Nougat, which has helped to clean up phones ever since. With Android 16, Google is stepping up notification bundling by forcing it on apps. Now, multiple notifications from a single app will be merged together into a single expandable item. Neat.
Google is also adding live update notifications, which can keep you abreast of progress in select apps. This feature is starting with support for several rideshare and delivery apps, which will be able to indicate status using a small icon in the status bar. Tapping it expands to a pop-up notification with a live progress bar. Google says it's working with Samsung and OnePlus to integrate this capability with the Now Bar and Live Alerts, respectively.
This release also brings Advanced Protection to all Android 16 devices, building on the account-level Advanced Protection system that was already available. When enabled, your phone won't connect to older 2G networks, blocks sites that don't have modern security features, and prevents USB devices from accessing the system. For a little more fun, you'll be able to create emojis in Emoji Kitchen using the Pixel Studio app, which uses generative AI to create your next emoji.
Developers will find a good number of behind-the-scenes changes, which could lead to better app experiences if widely adopted. In light of Google's expanding interest in foldables and tablets, apps targeting Android 16 (API level 36) will automatically fill larger screens. This should make it easier for developers to implement more useful interfaces for bigger screens, which Google strongly suggests they do.
Expanded camera features will let apps use night mode detection, hybrid auto-exposure, motion photos, and more. Android will also capture HDR screenshots in supported apps. And as always, Google says it's tightening restrictions on background processes. This will undoubtedly break some apps, but devices will be a little more efficient.
Cool stuff: Coming soon
Google seems to have increasingly abandoned its past strategy of pulling together big features for Android releases. It announced the new Material 3 Expressive design language last month, but that's not rolling out with Android 16. Instead, that will be arriving on Pixel phones first later this year. Google doesn't have a timeline for the more colorful take on Android, but the developer documentation urges app makers to begin making plans for the change.
The long-rumored desktop mode for Android is also becoming a reality… later this year. Google worked with Samsung to build on the latter's Android windowing system, known as DeX. This will allow tablets to use floating windows more like a computer, which will make multitasking less of a pain. The eventual rollout will also bring some windowing fun to phones—Android 16 will enable a phone or tablet to project a desktop interface on a connected external display.
In addition to a raft of feature updates planned for later in 2025, this is the first Android update that is part of Google's revised release schedule. In the past, new versions of Android would launch in the fall, right around when Google released new Pixel phones (or Nexus phones, if you go back far enough). Now, Google says it intends to do a major release in late spring, with a smaller update for APIs and features at the end of the year.
So, despite a relative lack of headlining features, this is Android's "big" 2025 update. There are some things to look forward to, but most of the flashy fun will come some months down the line.
And a Pixel Drop
Alongside the Android 16 update, Google is announcing a new Pixel Drop. Like Android 16, there isn't a ton here. Google says Expressive Captions are coming to the UK, Australia, and Canada, which is nice but should not require a system update. There's also better support for hearing aids and live search in the magnifier app.
The only really notable change in the Pixel Drop is the addition of Pixel VIPs, which is an enhancement of the traditional favorite contacts. The contacts you designate as VIPs will be available on a home screen widget and listed in a new interface that includes recent messages (from Messages and WhatsApp), personal info you've added (like birthdays), and the contact's location (if shared). Your VIPs can also bypass Do Not Disturb in both Messages and WhatsApp.
The new Pixel Drop features are coming to phones with the Android 16 update, but these additions are only for Pixels.
Google’s ‘Pixel VIPs’ will help you keep track of your favorite contacts