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Android 16 is out, complete with live notification updates and new camera features

Google has released Android 16 to the masses, as it's now available for compatible handsets. The company says new devices will come preloaded with the OS in "the coming months." The update includes several notable features. The biggest one might be live updates in notifications. This means that stuff like ride-shares and food deliveries will get a progress bar directly in the notification, so folks won't have to constantly open and close the app to wonder why a burrito seems to be stuck four bl

It’s been 84 years, but my dream of ‘MagSafe’ on a Pixel is almost here

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority I am an Android and a Pixel fan who has been heralding MagSafe as the coolest and most useful smartphone accessory improvement since sliced bread — or USB-C to stay within the metaphor. So when Qi2 was announced with a hint of MagSafe backwards compatibility, I was in nerd heaven. Finally — finally! — I’d be able to dip into a large ecosystem of accessories and use them on my Pixel phones. But Qi2’s announcement came and went, and the weeks, months, and years

6 big features missing on Android 16

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority Google’s big Android 16 update has arrived a tad early in the year — and that’s good news as we get to play with new software a little ahead of schedule. It also means that the upcoming Pixel flagships will likely ship with the latest Android update out of the box, unlike last year. While the Pixel 10 series may get Android 16 at launch, the latest version still misses several noteworthy features in the stable release. Android 16 brings a lot of under-the-hoo

4 exciting features Google just announced for Android phones (and why they're a big deal)

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Android 16 is officially here, and Google has some big upgrades on the way. Instead of releasing a new OS and a new phone lineup at the same time, Google is making the same move it did with Android 15 and giving both software and hardware their time to shine. Also: T-Mobile is giving away the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus for free - here's how it works This is the earliest Google has launched a major Android release in a while (for comparison, Android 15 was released o

iOS 19 is now iOS 26. Should Google follow suit with Android?

Apple 🗣️ This is an open thread. We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll below — your take might be featured in a future roundup. It’s WWDC week, and that means a flurry of software and service announcements from Apple. During its keynote on Monday, Apple revealed new features to the Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Macs, and more, including a new “Liquid Glass” UI that uses excessive transparency. This will undoubtedly prove divisive for Apple fans and th

The 5 best iOS 26 features I want Android to copy ASAP

Joe Maring / Android Authority Well, Apple has done it. After releasing iOS 18 in 2024, this year’s iPhone update jumps up by eight to iOS 26. Not only is the new name significant, but thanks to Apple’s new Liquid Glass redesign, it’s also one of the most drastic iOS updates we’ve seen in years. While I hope the whole Liquid Glass thing stays far, far away from Android, there are some elements of iOS 26 that I actually quite like. They aren’t drastic features, but they’re things I’d love to se

Android 16 review: It’s actually a big update, and I don’t want to hear otherwise

Today is the big day: Google just released Android 16 to the public. The update is rolling out now to the Pixel 6 and later, and the update’s source code is now available to developers on the Android Open Source Project. While Android 16 is classified as a major update, it certainly doesn’t look or feel like one on the surface. That’s because this initial release lacks many of the marquee features Google announced last month, such as the Material 3 Expressive redesign and the new Desktop Mode e

Android 16 offers an early taste of Live Updates, but its best features will have to wait

TL;DR Live Updates introduce a new way for Android to let apps communicate ongoing processes. With today’s release of Android 16, we start to see support for apps featuring progress-centric notifications. Full Live Updates support, where these notifications are actually handled differently by the system, will not arrive until later this year. Google just released Android 16 stable, and while there’s a lot going on there, there’s also a fair amount that we’re not getting just yet. Google’s del

AOSP isn’t dead, but Google just landed a huge blow to custom ROM developers

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google has made it harder to build custom Android ROMs for Pixel phones by omitting their device trees and driver binaries from the latest AOSP release. The company says this is because it’s shifting its AOSP reference target from Pixel hardware to a virtual device called “Cuttlefish” to be more neutral. While Google insists AOSP isn’t going away, developers must now reverse-engineer changes, making the process for supporting Pixel devices more difficu

Android 16 launches with subtle tweaks, paves way for major features later this year

Forward-looking: Android 16 sets the stage for a series of enhancements that will roll out over the course of the year. While the current release may appear modest in scope, it lays the foundation for more significant changes ahead. Google is emphasizing a continuous stream of updates rather than delivering a single, feature-packed launch. Android 16 introduces a series of thoughtful updates aimed at refining the user experience, strengthening security, and improving accessibility across the An

Survey reveals the fierce loyalty of Android fans

Robert Triggs / Android Authority While the name of our site shows where our main loyalties sit, we’re not afraid to praise Apple when it pulls off an engineering feat. That said, we know our fans are mainly of the Android persuasion. What we wondered was, how many of you would consider switching from Android to iOS at some point? We ran a poll to find out. For full transparency, we ran the survey in an article by Mitja Rutnik about why he personally wouldn’t consider switching. Mitja makes a

Dear Android OEMs: Please don’t copy Apple’s minimalistic camera app

Robert Triggs / Android Authority Apple has just announced its iOS 26 software, and we’ve got a technically impressive Liquid Glass visual design here. However, one visual change that may have flown under the radar is the new camera app. And I really hope Android OEMs don’t copy this decision. Apple’s new camera app is an exercise in extreme minimalism, according to an official image seen below. The bottom of the viewfinder only contains preset camera zoom buttons, video and photo mode buttons

Android 16 introduces Advanced Protection mode to fortify your phone against threats

From harmful apps to insecure connections, there are all kinds of risks you’re exposed to. Thankfully, Android features a range of security settings to keep your device and data protected from these threats. To take this protection even further, Google is rolling out an Advanced Protection mode with Android 16 . Today, Android 16 is coming to eligible devices, and with it, Advanced Protection mode. As Android 16 beta users are aware, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this feature, but now it

Android 16 reduces notification clutter with this simple but needed change

TL;DR Android 16 will automatically group all notifications from the same app to create a more organized notification panel. While Android has supported notification grouping for years, it was largely up to app developers to implement. This behavior is now enforced by the OS, preventing any single app from cluttering the notification panel and making alerts more manageable for users. With the new Android 16 update, Google is introducing several major changes to how notifications look and beha

Google has released Android 16’s source code, but Samsung fans won’t need to wait long for One UI 8

TL;DR Google has officially released the Android 16 source code, allowing developers to build their own versions of the operating system. Major smartphone manufacturers like Samsung have already had prerelease access, though, which allows them to expedite their Android 16 updates, with some planning rollouts as early as this summer. The full Android 16 source code is being uploaded today to AOSP, a full three months earlier than when Android 15’s source code was released. Alongside the update

Don’t forget: Three-button navigation is getting a much-needed upgrade with Android 16

TL;DR Android 16 extends predictive back navigation to three-button navigation. You can now see a preview of the previous screen by long-pressing the back button. Additionally, apps targeting Android 16 will have predictive back system animations by default. After debuting the predictive back navigation as a developer option in Android 13, Google finally enabled it by default in last year’s release. The feature previously only worked when using gesture-based navigation, but Google is extendin

Android 16’s Desktop Mode transforms your Pixel phone into a PC, and here’s how you can try it now

TL;DR Google is developing a DeX-like desktop mode for Android phones, and you can try it out now on supported Pixel devices with Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2. This feature projects a desktop-like environment with a taskbar and freeform windows to an external display, while the phone screen remains usable. The desktop mode experience requires a Pixel 8 or newer, the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, and an external display. One of the most exciting pieces of Android news from last month’s Google I/O dev

Android 16 will make it easier to find your recent apps with a new taskbar overflow feature

TL;DR An upcoming Android 16 update will add a taskbar overflow button to improve app switching on tablets when many apps have been recently opened. Tapping the overflow button will open a horizontally scrolling carousel that displays previews of your recent apps. This feature is set to launch later this year with either Android 16 QPR1 or QPR2. Back in 2021, Google added a taskbar to Android to improve app switching on tablets. Since then, the company has made several improvements, such as a

Here’s when Android 16’s Material 3 Expressive redesign and Desktop Mode will roll out

TL;DR The Android 16 update is now available for Pixel devices, but the anticipated Material 3 Expressive UI and new Desktop Mode are not included in this initial release. Google plans to launch the Material 3 Expressive redesign with the Android 16 QPR1 update, which is expected to roll out on September 3, 2025. The new Desktop Mode is also slated for the Android 16 QPR1 release and is currently available for testing in QPR1 Beta 2. Google is finally rolling out the Android 16 update to supp

Android 16 now lets you customize keyboard shortcuts — Here’s how it works

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Android 16 adds the ability to customize keyboard shortcuts. This feature first went live in Android 16 Beta 2. While you can’t assign custom key combinations to every available shortcut, you can customize many of them. Update, June 10, 2025 (2:24 PM ET): Google announced today that it is launching custom keyboard shortcuts in Android so you can “create your own combination of hotkeys.” This feature is already available in Android 16 for the Pixel Tab

The impossible is happening: An Android phone will be compatible with Apple Watch

Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority TL;DR Vivo has started teasing its next foldable, the X Fold 5. A product manager confirms that the Android phone will have Apple Watch compatibility. It’s also said to have direct support for iCloud and can be used as an extended screen with a Mac. At one point, Apple reportedly considered making an Apple Watch that’s compatible with Android to help it reach the platform’s billions of users. However, those plans eventually fell through and Apple has continu

Android 16 wants to make your next phone trade-in process a lot faster

Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Android 16 introduces a new “Trade-in Mode” to make trading in your old phone a faster process. This feature allows technicians to quickly access device details and run diagnostics by bypassing the usual setup wizard. Activating Trade-in Mode ensures security by forcing a factory reset on the next reboot, preventing misuse. The Android 16 update is rolling out to Pixel devices today. While Google’s official changelog is brief, the release is packed with n

Android 16 QPR1 beta 2 is here, with Pixel’s DeX competitor and more

TL;DR Google has announced the release of Android 16 QPR1 beta 2. The new beta software brings a desktop mode when connected to an external display. The update also brings desktop windowing functionality to tablets. Google launched Android 16 QPR1 beta 1 last month, giving us our first official look at the company’s new Material 3 Expressive design language. Now, the company has announced the release of Android 16 QPR1 beta 2. Perhaps the most notable addition is a desktop mode, dubbed conne

Foldables are going to miss out on this major Android 16 multitasking feature

TL;DR Foldables like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold won’t support on-device windowing in Android 16. Only tablets will have the option of floating app windows, while phones with Desktop Mode will need an external display. Desktop Mode support is optional for OEMs building phones and foldables. If you were still hoping that Android 16 might finally let you run apps in floating windows on your foldable, you might want to temper those expectations. Despite the larger screens on foldables like the Pixel 9

The latest Android 16 QPR1 beta finally organizes Android’s messy sound settings

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority TL;DR Google is cleaning up Android’s “Sound & vibration” settings page in the upcoming Android 16 QPR1 update. Instead of one long list, the new layout groups settings into distinct categories like “sound patterns” and “Audio.” The volume sliders also get a modern design, while other options are relocated to make the page feel less cluttered. After more than 16 years of development, the Android OS is packed with features. If they weren’t organized, navigat

I replaced every emulator on my phone with this $50 gaming handheld and I don’t regret it one bit

TrimUI Smart Pro The TrimUI Smart Pro is a fantastic 16:9 handheld that can reach below $50 on sale. It can handle everything up to the PS/N64, and you'll have to pay double for anything better. As someone who grew up playing retro games, I was over the moon when I first found out I could install emulators on my Android phone years ago. What could possibly be better than playing the classics on the same device I use dozens of times a day for every other task? Well, it turns out that a smooth r

iOS 26 proves that Android still has a software update problem

Joe Maring / Android Authority This week’s iOS 26 announcement sure was an odd one, wasn’t it? Between the controversial Liquid Glass redesign and the big name jump from iOS 18 to iOS 26, this year’s iPhone update is already proving to be one of the most peculiar we’ve seen in a while. Overall reactions to iOS 26 have been a mixed bag so far, and with an update this drastic, that’s to be expected. But even though not everything about Apple’s big software update is a winner, there’s one aspect

This small quick settings tweak is low-key my most anticipated Android 16 improvement

Joe Maring / Android Authority Android 16 is shaping up to be the biggest visual update to Google’s mobile operating system since the introduction of Material You with Android 12. That release was all about making the experience feel more personal to each user, with dynamic theming that could extract your wallpaper colors and apply them to other parts of the system. There was also a much more playful approach to form and motion across the OS. With its latest design system update, Material 3 Exp

Wallpaper Wednesday: More great phone wallpapers for all to share (June 11)

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Welcome to Wallpaper Wednesday! In this weekly roundup, we’ll give you a handful of Android wallpapers you can download and use on your phone, tablet, or even your laptop/PC. The images will come from folks here at Android Authority as well as our readers. All are free to use and come without watermarks. File formats are JPG and PNG, and we’ll provide images in both landscape and portrait modes, so they’ll be optimized for various screens. For the newest wall

Android 16 QPR1 lets you close all your apps super quick, but should you?

Paul Jones / Android Authority TL;DR Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 includes a quality-of-life improvement that allows immediate swiping away of recent apps to close them. The update removes the delay caused by waiting for the app-closing animations to finish, so users can quickly swipe-close all their apps one after the other. Despite the performance improvement, habitual app-clearing offers little benefit and may drain your battery. Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 is here, and eager enthusiasts are digging