Google has released Android 16 Beta 1 for Pixel devices starting with the sixth generation. The new version of the operating system is already being distributed among the participants of the Android Beta program. This was reported by 9to5Google.
Android 16 has a new feature called Live Updates, "new class of notifications that help users monitor and quickly access important ongoing activities," such as transportation, food delivery, and navigation.
FYI: This is what Live Updates will actually look like in Android 16 Beta 1, as per Google's documentation.
The GIF you may have seen elsewhere doesn't represent the feature in its current form but instead a potential future version.
That's why I didn't include it in my… pic.twitter.com/ZvaAqMVnxi
FYI: This is what Live Updates will actually look like in Android 16 Beta 1, as per Google's documentation.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 23, 2025
The GIF you may have seen elsewhere doesn't represent the feature in its current form but instead a potential future version.
That's why I didn't include it in my… pic.twitter.com/ZvaAqMVnxiThe new ProgressStyle notification template complements Live Updates by showing real-time progress of an order. The template also supports custom icons for task start, completion, and ongoing progress tracking.
Google is also adding a feature to stretch apps on large screens of foldable smartphones. For screens with a resolution of more than 600 DP, applications that support API 36 will automatically adjust the interface to fit the screen size. However, this only applies to apps, not games.
Also added support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec, including the APV 422-10 profile (YUV 422 color sampling with 10-bit encoding and for target bitrates up to 2 Gbps). The standard is designed for high-quality video recording and provides:
- Video quality without noticeable losses (close to the quality of raw video)
- High bandwidth in-frame encoding (no pixel area prediction) to better support editing workflows
- Supports high bitrates of up to several Gbps for 2K, 4K and 8K content
- Frame splitting for immersive content (3D video) and parallel encoding and decoding
- Support for various color and bit sampling formats
- Supports multiple decoding and transcoding without significant degradation of image quality
- Support for video with multiple viewing modes and assistive video such as depth, alpha channel, and preview
- Support for HDR10/10+ and user-defined metadata
Google is also continuing to popularize predictive returns by enabling them by default in apps that support Android 16. Long pressing the Back button starts an animation or preview of the previous screen. This feature works in all system areas that support predictive back animation, including system animations.
The next beta version is due on February 19. The full release of the system is planned for June this year.
