- Android 16 Developer Preview 2 is now available for Pixel 6 and above devices.
- It brings an enhanced Now Playing feature, a quick note lockscreen shortcut, and an improved Bluetooth menu.
- They also added an option to unlock your Pixel 9 devices with the screen off.
Google is quickly chugging towards the next Android version, as it has already pushed out the second Developer Preview for the Pixel devices. Given the early release timeline, this will be the last DP for Android 16, as the next update will be an official beta. That could explain why there isn’t much to report about in this release. Nonetheless, let’s look at all the new Android 16 features in this Developer Preview 2.
With the latest DP2, Google is rolling out the Enhanced Now Playing feature which will show you the album art of the songs it recognized. You can now set up a Default music player to play the detected songs on your favorite streaming service.
Google has also added an option to unlock your phone with fingerprints even when the screen is off. That’s all thanks to the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor used by the Pixel 9 devices. But it isn’t enabled by default, and you must have an always-on display turned on to get an indicator for it.
There’s a new lockscreen note-taking shortcut on Android 16 Developer Preview 2. Long pressing it at the moment doesn’t do anything. But we suspect that it should directly take you to your default Notes app.
Moving on, the Bluetooth menu will now show photos of connected or saved devices. If you jump into Device Details, you’ll see a circular ring around the device showing its current battery status. Other than that, there are mostly under-the-hood changes in this update.
Apps will now have more control over haptics. They will also have support for predictive back gestures introduced in Android 15. There’s a new API that helps the app learn the current lightning situation to take better photos at night. They have also made WiFi ranging more secure with AES-256-based encryption and MITM attack protection.
The latest Developer Preview 2 is rolling out to all Pixel 6 and above devices. So if you already have the first preview installed then go to Settings > System > Software updates. In case you don’t, take a look at our guide on how to flash Developer Preview builds on your Pixel. Or maybe wait till the official beta drops next year.
