While many of you might be waiting for Android 15 to arrive on your Android devices, Google has started pushing out the developer preview builds of Android 16. This mid-season update brings some substantial upgrades and several under-the-hood changes. With the Developer Preview 2 released earlier today, let’s look at all the new features coming with Android 16.
1. Android 16 Baklava is Here
In October, we reported that Google is abandoning its long-standing naming scheme and restarting from the start. The first Android 16 developer preview confirms this. As you can see, Android 16 is officially codenamed “Baklava” on the About page of the device. Baklava is a Middle Eastern dessert made from a layered pastry with chopped nuts and sweet syrup.
2. Settings Page Gets a New Look
The new update also brings a much-needed design overhaul to the Settings page. The new Settings page is segmented, making it easier to find the options you are looking for. You will notice that the Google accounts page has been shifted to the top, similar to iOS. The About Phone and the System settings also no longer sit at the bottom, and are now located above Security & privacy.
3. Bluetooth Audio Sharing
Bluetooth Audio Sharing is finally here with Android 16 (and hopefully, it stays). This feature lets you listen to audio with multiple Bluetooth headphones at the same time. However, you will need Bluetooth LE-supported earbuds to use this feature.
To access it, go to Settings -> Connected devices -> Connection preferences ->Audio sharing.
You can also scan the QR code to share your current media stream with another device, but it is not working as of now. Given the requirement restrictions, we should see more Bluetooth LE-supported earbuds pop up after the stable update rolls out.
4. Improved Bluetooth Menu
The second developer preview introduced an improved Bluetooth menu. Now you will see a png of your connected and saved Bluetooth devices if it is available in Google’s database. If you tap on Device details, then you will also see a new circular battery indicator around the device itself.
5. Notification Cooldown Returns
Notification Cooldown debuted with Android 15 DP1 but was removed in subsequent updates. Now, the feature is back again in Android 16 DP1 with a polished menu that shows how the feature works.
In case you don’t remember, Notification Cooldown silences continuous alerts received in a short amount of time, thus, reducing the annoyance of incoming notifications.
6. Modes Replaces Do Not Disturb
Taking a ‘Focus’-ed approach like iOS, Google has also replaced Do Not Disturb with the new Modes options in Settings. You can not only manage the DND like you used to but also create new custom modes with an icon, and set their behavior according to your preferences.
Thus, you can create modes during bedtime, work, while gaming, or one for weekends. These modes are also accessible from quick settings.
7. Enhanced Now Playing
There’s a new Enhanced Now Playing option in the settings menu in Android 16 DP2. It automatically fetches the album art for all the songs it has recognized. There’s also an option to select your default music player so you can play the identified song directly.
8. Screen Off Fingerprint Unlock
Android 16 will also make good use of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor shipped with the Pixel 9 series. Google is testing a Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock option in Android 16 DP2 to unlock your device with fingerprints even when the screen is off. However, this option must be enabled first in the settings, and you also need to have always on display enabled to see the indicator to place your fingerprint.
To enable this feature, head to Settings > Security & Privacy > Device unlock > Face & Fingerprint Unlock > Fingerprint Unlock. Here you can turn on this option.
9. Wi-Fi Sharing Gets a New Look
Android 16 also changes the visual look of the Wi-Fi sharing QR code. It used to be in a typical dull square but now it is animated and also has a more curvy look making it more attractive. Not sure if there are any practical reasons for this change; change just seems to be aesthetic.
10. Experimental Display Color Mode
There is also a new Experimental mode when you navigate to Settings > Display & touch > Colors on your Pixel phone. However, it is unclear what it is supposed to do. Selecting it increases display warmness similar to Night Light. Maybe we will see further development of this feature in future updates. This feature has been removed with the Developer Preview 2.
11. 7-Day Privacy Dashboard
The Privacy Dashboard on Android shows you a graph of apps and which permission they accessed in the last 24 hours. With Android 16, it can display the data for the last 7 days to help you better understand app behavior. To access it, tap the 3-dots icon on the top right corner and select Show 7 days.
12. Notes Shortcut in Lockscreen
We also spotted a new note-taking shortcut which can be added to the lockscreen. At the moment it doesn’t serve much purpose as long pressing it just shows “Coming soon”. But once implemented, it should let you jump into your default notes app.
13. Embedded Photo Picker
Since the developer preview is intended for app developers, this new update brings the new APIs for the photo picker tool. It was introduced back in 2013, and it is a pop-up menu that lets you pick specific photos or videos you want to upload to an app rather than giving it access to all your files.
Not a lot of apps used it previously, but these new APIs will allow developers to implement it easily in their apps. Google is also working on adding a search option so you can easily find your images.
14. Health Connect App Improvements
If you use Google’s Health Connect app then there are some big improvements for you. It allows apps to read and write your medical records in FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) format in Android 16 DP1. It is a standard that allows the exchange of electronic health records among apps. However, apps will require user permission to access or write medical records in Health Connect.
15. New APIs for Third Party Apps
Android 16 brings API so third-party apps can also take advantage of the predictive back gesture introduced in Android 15. Apps will also get more control over the haptics of your phone, so you can expect the same tactile feedback as the other system settings of your phone.
Then there’s the integration of the Night Mode Indicator API. This will help social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat learn the current lightning conditions. They can then adapt accordingly and click a better night mode photo, similar to the stock camera app.
16. Changes to Privacy Sandbox and New APIs
Lastly, Google has introduced a Privacy Sandbox for Android module with this new release. The company only mentioned, “incorporates the latest version” but didn’t share what new changes are included in the Privacy Sandbox.
So, these are all the new features we have in Android 16 so far. As more updates roll out, we will update this list with more new features and changes to the OS. Again, this isn’t a major overhaul, but we weren’t expecting it to, given it is the first developer preview. If you are still interested in checking out the features yourself, learn how to install Android 16 developer preview.
What did you think about these Android 16 features? Which one are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments below.
