Android 16 adds AI notification summaries, new customization options, and more

Google Announce On Tuesday, a large number of… Android 16 Updates, along with new general Android features and accessibility. The rollout of the new Android 16 features, coming for the first time on Pixel devices, marks a new chapter in how Android updates are delivered, as the company moves from a single annual update to more frequent releases.

Android 16 adds AI-powered notification summaries that condense long messages and group conversations into quick, glanceable overviews. The new Notification Organizer will automatically group and silence low-priority notifications, such as promotions, news, and social alerts.

The update also brings more ways to customize devices, with users getting access to custom icon shapes, themed icons and the option to automatically darken light apps, even those that don’t have a native dark theme of their own.

Additionally, there’s a new Parental Controls option within Android Settings that allows parents to set screen time limits, create downtime schedules, control app usage, and more for their kids.

These updates began rolling out with Android 16 to eligible Pixel devices starting Tuesday.

Google is also launching several new Android features that are not specific to Android 16. A new beta feature called “Calling Reason” allows users to mark calls to saved contacts as “urgent.” Recipients will see this on their incoming call screen and know that it is time sensitive. If they miss the call, the Urgent note will remain in their call history.

Google is also launching “Emoji Captions” that display the full emotion of a speech with tags like (sad) or (joyful), whether it’s a video message or a social media post. The company says this will allow users to extract the full context of what is being said when the sound is turned off.

The tech giant is making it easier to spot and exit unwanted group chats. If an unknown number invites a user to a group, they will receive an alert displaying basic information about the group. The user can then choose to quickly reply, leave the chat, or block and report the number.

Additionally, pinned tabs in Chrome now work the same way as they do on desktop, meaning pinned pages remain saved to the front of the browser, allowing users to pick up where they left off.

Google is also updating Circle to Search, a feature that lets users search from anywhere on their phone using gestures like swiveling, highlighting, scribbling, or tapping. Users can now analyze suspicious messages using this feature – after the search circuit is initiated, an AI overview will appear indicating whether the message is likely to be a scam.

For accessibility updates, Google is making it easier to use Voice Dictation with TalkBack on Android. Users will soon be able to start dictating in Gboard by double-tapping with two fingers. From there, Smart Dictation with Gemini will allow users to type text and also edit it using natural commands. For example, users can say “replace Monday with Tuesday” to set a date, or ask Gemini to “shorten it.”

Google is also updating the Guided Frame feature in the Pixel camera app. Previously, the feature notified users of things like the face in the frame. Now, it will provide a more in-depth description, such as “Girl in yellow shirt sitting on sofa looking at dog.”

Additionally, users no longer need to physically tap their phone to start using Voice Access, which allows users to control their Android devices using voice commands. Now, users just need to say “Hey Google, start Voice Access” to start controlling their phone hands-free.

The company is also launching Fast Pair for hearing aids, starting with hearing aids from Demant, a Danish company that owns several major hearing aid brands, including Oticon, Sonic and Bernafon.