Android 16 Is Now Officially Available on These Devices
After months of beta testing and an extensive preview ahead of Google I/O 2025 , Android 16 is now finalized and rolling out to devices. As usual, Pixel phones and tablets will be first in line for the software update, with phones from other manufacturers to follow later (Samsung’s One UI 8 update based on Android 16 is already in testing).
According to Google’s documentation, all Pixel phones and tablets, starting with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, support Android 16. These phones were introduced in 2021, so if you have one of those phones or something newer, you’re good to go.
Perhaps the biggest update in Android 16 is the updated Material 3 Expressive design language that Google has already announced . It’s designed to encourage more interaction and create more emotional appeal, and is also more intuitive and easier to use. However, this release of Android 16 is only “laying the groundwork” for the update: Google says the redesign will roll out gradually throughout the year.
Notifications are getting some improvements. Android 16 introduces Live Updates, which are similar to the Live Activities already available in iOS. Essentially, this makes real-time updates more visible on the home screen and lock screen, so you don’t have to constantly open the app for sports scores or to see where your Uber is.
Samsung has already implemented something similar with the Now Bar in One UI 7, and it should improve the experience for apps like Google Maps and food delivery apps. The feature will launch with “compatible ride-sharing and food delivery apps,” Google says, with more integrations to follow.
Another change to notifications: Similar alerts will be automatically grouped together to avoid “information overload.” One example Google shows is a security camera: instead of each notification popping up individually every time motion is detected, you’ll collect them all in one grouped package.
Android 16 also brings improved hearing aid support, with the ability to switch to your phone’s microphone for audio input during a call, which should mean better results in noisy environments. Android 16 will also introduce native controls for hearing aids, giving access to settings like volume levels.
There’s also a big security update that we’ve already seen in the Android 16 beta. It builds on the existing Advanced Protection mode, which the official announcements describe as “Google’s strongest mobile security”: previously available for Google accounts on the web, it’s now available for mobile devices with Android 16, meaning you can manage this protection from your phone or tablet.
Advanced protection includes a variety of different elements, including preventing USB connections when your phone is locked, stopping automatic connections for unsecured Wi-Fi networks, and real-time alerts for fraudulent calls. All of this can be configured through the Advanced protection menu in Settings.
Android 16 also brings with it an improved desktop mode, similar to Samsung’s DeX . Google says it’s actually worked with Samsung to improve window support on Android tablets, so you now have more control over how your apps are laid out on larger-screen devices.
It looks like bigger updates to the feature are still to come: customizable keyboard shortcuts, an improved taskbar, and support for external displays (for a full DeX experience) are coming “later this year,” so you’ll have to wait a little while to take full advantage of this new desktop mode.
As usual, there are plenty of new features behind the scenes and for developers: these range from easier access to camera settings like night mode and color temperature, better support for responsive layouts that work on screens of all sizes, and even improved consistency for progress bars. Keep an eye out for improvements in your Android apps and broader support for the new Material 3 Expressive redesign as time goes on.
Android 16 also includes a bunch of smaller tweaks and improvements that you might not notice for a while (or at all). If you have a Pixel phone or tablet, you should get the update automatically in the coming days, but you can also check for it manually: in Settings, select System & software updates .