It’s a little early, but owners of a Google Pixel can see what the fuss with Android 16 is all about.
Apple may well have announced a new OS or five this week, but it wasn’t alone. Google has a new version of Android on the way for owners of a Pixel, with other phones to see the new OS soon, as well.
While iOS 26 is on the way for later this year, Google has launched a version of Android a lot earlier than prior years, with Pixel phones reaping the benefits first. That means owners of a Pixel 9a or Pixel 9 Pro XL should see the operating system shortly, as well as owners of other models dating back to the Pixel 6 range including the Pixel 6a.
Upon first glance, the differences aren’t hugely noticeable, something we’ve been glancing through on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but there are some additions worth talking about.
For starters, notifications more grouped than ever in the drop down, but more interestingly, live notifications are coming to the same place. No more having to switch back to Uber to find out where someone is, as real-time updates arrive.
The look of Android hasn’t changed drastically — a few tweaks to the settings screens are what we noticed first — but there’s now more security in “Advanced Protection” settings, a feature Google hinted at earlier in the year to ward off scam callers, and prevent you from visiting unsafe websites and installing potentially harmful apps.
Greater security overall is a good thing, and so is compatibility. Namely compatibility on tablets with phone apps.
We only just mentioned in our Galaxy Tab S10 FE review that Android on a tablet still isn’t an amazing experience, and the apps are largely to blame: they’re mostly made for phones.
With Android 16, however, Google has been working with Samsung and what it learned from the “desktop experience” DeX system to build a better version of Android multitasking. Specifically, it will support app windows to be resized and moved, something the iPad is set to see in iPadOS 26, as well, making both sets of tablets more like a computer.
There are other features, too, such as improved battery life, a newly redesigned image editor with AI inside, more support for hearing aids, and digital stickers for your online activities able to be made from combinations of emoji, part of Google’s Emoji Kitchen.
Having a place to use those stickers is important, too, so Google is making its message system a little better. At least in theory.
Support for group chats using the evolution of SMS is also here, as Rich Communication Services brings a more Apple Messages-style approach to Android. That technically works for Android users, but not when used connecting to iPhone owners.
RCS missed out on Australian iPhone owners last year when Apple launched it under iOS 18, though it has been a feature of Android for some time. Here’s hoping it’s not too far away, so iPhone owners and Android users can start talking, with the latest on Android 16 adding emoji combos of stickers to the mix.
