Subj : The first Android 16 public beta is here  and it borrows a key iO
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Jan 24 2025 11:30:07

The first Android 16 public beta is here  and it borrows a key iOS feature

Date:
Fri, 24 Jan 2025 11:21:20 +0000

Description:
The first beta version of Android 16 is now available for Pixel phones, and 
there's one big new feature.

FULL STORY
======================================================================The 
first Android 16 public beta is now here You can install it now if you have a 
newer Pixel phone Live Updates is one of the new features 

Google has pushed out the first public beta version of Android 16 , which 
means early adopters can give it a spin: and among the new features already 
spotted by users is Android's take on Live Activities in iOS. 

As announced by Google (via Android Police ), the Android equivalent of Live 
Activities is Live Updates. These persistent updates on screen "help users 
monitor and quickly access important ongoing activities" Google says. 

Right now, the updates are "suggested only for ride sharing, food delivery, 
and navigation use cases", but we can expect more categories to be added over 
time. Eventually, any developer who wants to should be able to take advantage 
of them. 

As we've seen on iPhones , these kinds of live updates can be handy for 
everything from sports scores to audio recorders. They mean you can keep up 
to date with something without having the app open, and they'll be a welcome 
addition to Android. More to come Live Activities on iOS (Image credit: 
Apple) 

There's quite a lot more in the first Android 16 public beta, including 
improved support for apps on larger screens: If you use a larger display 
(like the one on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold ), you should see less in the 
way of letterboxing. 

Then we have improved support for high-resolution video recording and 
editing, a more consistent predictive back experience (where you see a 
preview of the screen you're going back to), and preparations for deeper 
Gemini integration. 

We can look forward to plenty more in the way of new features as the Android 
beta testing phase continues  numerous upgrades have already been rumored, 
including changes to notifications . A full launch of Android 16 is expected 
in June . 

Right now, if you want to give the beta a try, you need to have a Pixel phone 
(a Pixel 6 or later) and be enrolled in the Android Beta Program (which is 
free). As always with betas, expect bugs and crashes  we wouldn't recommend 
doing this on a phone you rely on. You might also like The developer preview 
of Android 16 is here Android 16 is coming sooner than we thought These are 
the best Android phones right now



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/phones/android/the-first-android-16-public-beta-is-h
ere-and-it-borrows-a-key-ios-feature


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