Android 16's Live Updates: A New Notification Experience Coming Soon
Android 16 brought a lot of changes under the hood, but the most exciting features are just now starting to roll out. I'm talking about Live Updates. If you're familiar with iOS's Live Activities, this is basically Android's version of that – a special type of notification that sticks around on your status bar and lock screen, keeping you in the loop.
Think about it: you're waiting for a food delivery, and instead of constantly checking the app, you get a live, always-on update right on your lock screen. That’s the promise of Live Updates.
The interesting part is that Android 16 already laid the groundwork for this, introducing a new notification template that makes it easier for developers to add progress bars to their notifications. Apps like Uber were already doing this, but now everyone can jump on board without having to reinvent the wheel.
How it Works
Once Live Updates are fully active, these progress-style notifications will be front and center on your always-on display and lock screen. No more waking up your phone or pulling down the notification shade. Plus, there will be a little chip in the status bar showing a quick message from the app. Tap it, and you'll see the full progress notification without interrupting what you're doing.
Google said Live Updates would arrive on Pixel phones later this year, but they didn't give us a specific date. It looks like they're already live in the latest beta version, so it might not be long before they land in a quarterly update.
To make it work, apps now need to declare a new permission and use a specific API. I tested it out on my Pixel 9 Pro, and it worked like a charm. The notification appeared on the lock screen and as a chip in the status bar. It even looks nice on the always-on display, with a clean outline that stands out against the wallpaper.
Managing these updates is pretty simple. You can turn them off by pressing and holding the notification, or by disabling the feature in the app's settings.
Since Live Updates are already working in the beta, I reckon Google will announce it soon. Developers need to know so they can start adding support, and the sooner they do, the sooner we all get to enjoy this cool new feature.
Source: AndroidAuthority