December Android 16 replace is reside: What’s new from Google?

Google launched Android 16 again in June, and with it got here a ton of options and updates. Normally, that’s all Google does till the following model, which is anticipated to be launched in beta someday in January or February 2026. That isn’t the case this time, as Google simply introduced a number of new options coming to Android 16 as a type of mid-cycle refresh for the OS. 

As per the norm nowadays, a large proportion of the brand new options might be powered by AI and leverage Gemini’s capability to categorize and summarize information. The remainder are further options coming to apps like Google’s Telephone and extra customizations you should utilize to personalize your telephone much more. 

Google posted not one, however two weblog posts about what’s developing, so you already know it’s going to be good. To avoid wasting you some clicks, right here’s every part coming within the subsequent feature-packed Android 16 replace. The December Android 16 replace ought to roll out to Pixel units beginning at this time (Tuesday, Nov. 2), with different Android units getting the updates when their OEMs get round to it.

AI can handle your notifications

Two of the massive modifications are coming to notifications. The primary one is fairly easy. Google will permit AI to summarize lengthy notifications (comparable to a number of messages in a bunch textual content) into a brief abstract to let you already know what occurred once you have been away. These summaries can take a number of texts and sum them up in a sentence or two, making them simpler to scan by way of whereas checking them shortly. It appears as if that is particularly focused at group chats with plenty of messages, however it could work with different sorts of messages as effectively.

Credit score: Google

The opposite large notification change is an organizer perform. That is vaguely just like how Gmail filters messages and appears about the identical in observe. Your varied notifications might be categorized into issues like Information, Promotions, and others, thus letting you verify your notifications as you please based mostly on what sort of stuff you need to see. It’s a small change, however as a author who will get most likely 55 emails a day, that is going to be an superior characteristic for me. 

Let your family members know its pressing.
Credit score: Google

Mark your calls as pressing

Cell telephones make telephone calls, and though that isn’t what folks use them for most frequently nowadays, Google nonetheless desires to make the expertise pretty much as good as potential. One of many new options is the flexibility to mark a telephone name as pressing once you place the decision to speak to the opposite individual that this isn’t an on a regular basis catch-up name and that they should reply the telephone. 

This characteristic is rolling out to the Google Telephone app. While you place the decision, you’ll have an choice to mark the decision as pressing. The recipient will see that the decision is pressing on their finish. Even when they miss the decision, it’ll be marked as pressing of their name logs, in order that they know to name again as quickly as they will. 

Themed icons and higher darkish mode

One of many long-awaited and constantly requested for options is the flexibility to theme icons inside Android. This was beforehand doable with icon packs, however you additionally wanted a customized launcher to make use of them. Google has lastly included not less than some customized icon performance in Android itself, giving customers the flexibility to customise their homescreens additional with out the necessity for a ton of further downloads. 

Credit score: Google

The themed icons have three major features. You possibly can customise the icon shapes, and it’ll theme the icons utilizing the identical Materials 3 Expressive theming that the remainder of your telephone makes use of to theme issues. This could create a extra constant and minimal icon design, giving the top person extra management over how issues look. 

As an apart, Google additionally talked about an expanded darkish mode that may work on apps that don’t have a darkish mode constructed into them already. That’s not terribly widespread nowadays, as most apps have a devoted darkish mode, however it helps clean out these tough edges for apps that don’t.

Dip out of undesirable group chats shortly (whereas reporting them)

Getting pulled into a bunch chat could be annoying, particularly when the group begins performing a idiot (or worse, when it’s spam). Google Messages is getting a brand new characteristic to take away your self from such chats as shortly as potential. This perform works fairly merely. While you’re pulled into a bunch chat underneath sure circumstances, like being added from an unknown quantity, you’ll get the choice to go away the group chat straight from the chat itself, whereas additionally supplying you with the chance to dam and report the quantity as spam. 

Credit score: Google

Circle to Search can discover spam

Talking of spam, Google is including one other characteristic that will help you monitor it down and do away with it quicker. While you obtain one thing that you simply may suspect to be spam, you possibly can lively Google’s Circle to Search perform and circle the message. An AI overview will pop up letting you already know whether or not the message is probably going legit or if it’s undoubtedly spam. Whether it is spam, you already know to delete, block, and report the message so that you don’t get it once more.

Credit score: Google

See feelings in Dwell Caption video

Dwell Caption already does quite a bit for the listening to impaired by letting you learn what’s happening routinely. Google is increasing this performance with what it calls Expressive Captions. The concept is fairly easy. Not solely will Dwell Caption write what persons are saying, however will even take heed to their tone of voice and present you the emotion with which persons are talking. 

Credit score: Google

On condition that textual content has no tone intrinsically, it will probably result in quite a lot of communication issues. This solves that downside by making an informed guess based mostly on the context of the video. It possible received’t be one hundred pc correct on a regular basis, as human feelings are sophisticated, however it’s nonetheless a neat concept, particularly when video calling with buddies.

Higher parental controls

Security and safety are often within the highlight in the case of Android releases, and this time is not any completely different. Google has added some new parental controls to the Settings menu, giving mother and father a better place to entry such controls on a baby’s system. The setting is protected by a PIN, so children can’t simply get into it, permitting mother and father to configure issues on the kid’s system with out fear that the kid will get into it. 

A number of the new options on this parental management settings menu will embrace setting the quantity of display screen time, scheduling downtime to lock the system for issues like sleep, controlling app utilization to restrict time spent on apps or to dam them totally, and granting further time if want be. Dad and mom will even have direct hyperlinks to Google Household Hyperlink, the place they will set extra issues like app buy approvals, location alerts, and extra.

Emoji Kitchen and voice dictation in Gboard

The Emoji Kitchen is a neat little concept that permits you to create customized emojis by combining two current emotes, very like that foolish Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen track from years in the past. This one is fairly easy. It nonetheless features because it did in Google’s Gboard app, however now consists of new sticker mixtures, together with some made for the vacation season. 

Look, the little monkeys are hugging one another.
Credit score: Google

Gboard can also be making it simpler to make use of voice dictation in Gboard. The brand new gesture is a two-finger double-tap, and as soon as engaged, it’s going to allow you to use voice dictation with out hitting the particular microphone button on the keyboard. It’s somewhat factor, however the motor skill-impaired could discover this handy over having to faucet a small button on the keyboard. Gemini’s Sensible Dictation characteristic will even allow you to kind and edit textual content, and even shorten the textual content for you with the facility of AI. 

Pin your tabs in Google Chrome

Easy methods to pin tabs in Google Chrome
Credit score: Google

That is precisely what you suppose it’s and works precisely the way you suppose it does. Very similar to the desktop model, the cellular model of Chrome now helps you to pin tabs. These tabs stay even in case you filter out the remainder of them, permitting you to avoid wasting necessary webpages for later. In fact, the bookmarks perform additionally helps you to do that, however that is nonetheless very helpful, particularly in case you don’t like utilizing bookmarks. 

December Android 16 replace: Extra miscellaneous updates

There are many different small issues that bought looped into the replace, and so they’re not fairly sufficient for their very own sections, so right here’s a rapid-fire record of further small modifications. 

• A shortcut for Dwell Caption is now out there on the backside of the amount slider. 

• The “Enhanced HDR brightness” setting now has an depth slider letting you set it both dimmer or brighter. 

• Google’s Well being Join now routinely provides steps tracked by your system. 

• A Pixel Launcher design tweak has elevated the dimensions of the microphone, Google Lens, and AI mode icons whereas including an additional sprint of shade. 

• Widgets make a return to the lock display screen. Head to Settings > Show & contact > Lock display screen > Widgets on lock display screen to make use of them. 

• Google has up to date its Guided Frames characteristic within the Pixel digital camera app to present longer, extra detailed explanations when describing what’s within the body. 

• Customers may also now activate Voice Entry by merely asking for it. Say “Hey Google” after which “begin Voice Entry” as a substitute of searching it down within the settings. 

• Quick Pair is extending to listening to aids made by Demant, a conglomerate that features the manufacturers Oticon, Sonic, and Bernafon.

There are additionally a bunch of under-the-hood modifications which might be aimed primarily at builders. These are too quite a few to record, however you possibly can see them your self (together with any options we missed) on the Android Builders web site. A few of them embrace boilerplate issues like improved app efficiency and higher battery life as effectively. 

Android 16 is an replace value having

Even if that is nonetheless the identical Android 16 that launched just some months in the past, it feels as very like a brand new Android replace as something I’ve seen in the previous few years. There’s lots to love right here, particularly the additional refinements to the design. Notification classes and themed icons win the day when it comes to making OS customization and productiveness really feel extra full, and every part else is simply icing on the cake.