Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Android 16 officially rolled out a few weeks ago, and in addition to enhanced protection and productivity enhancements, the latest OS introduced several changes to how notifications are received.
If you're anything like me, you get so many notifications that you occasionally miss important ones. Google has made two changes to your Android notifications, both aimed at keeping things easier to find.
Also: Updating to Android 16 gives you 2 useful security features - but you need to enable them
What's new with Android 16 notifications
Find your ride, package, or food at a glance: It sounds spectacularly spoiled to write this, but if I'm wrapped up in my favorite show, it can be frustrating to unlock my phone a dozen times to see exactly when my late-night wing delivery is going to land on my doorstep. Android 16 fixes this with live update notifications on your lock screen.
Like live activities on iOS, the feature lets apps send timely, updated notifications without requiring the user to open an app or even unlock the screen. It works for food-delivery apps, ride-sharing apps, navigation apps, and timers -- essentially any sort of notification that's an ongoing activity.
While this feature officially debuted with Android 16, which rolled out in late June, it won't get a full rollout until later this year (speculation points to September).
Auto-grouped notifications: Also new in Android 16 is a feature that automatically groups notifications from the same app to make sure you're not overwhelmed. If you get several notifications in a row (say, from your home cameras as someone walks up your driveway and to your door), they will group together to keep your screen looking organized.
... continue reading