Google launches the first beta of Android 16 with new features such as Live Updates

Google has begun releasing the first public beta version of Android 16which allows non-developer users to access its new features still in the testing phase, including functions such as Live Updates, adaptation of applications to larger screens and improvements for high-quality video recording.

With the aim of beginning to test its new functions and adjust this new ‘software’ before launching the final version, the technology company has made its first beta of Android 16 available to some users, which, for the moment, is compatible with Google devices Pixel.

In this sense, among the new features presented by this new version of the operating system, adaptive Android applications are included. This is a function that allows applications to be adjusted for correct viewing on larger screens, whether on folding smartphones or tablets.

To this end, as Google explained in a statement on its blog for Android developers, the ability of applications to “restrict orientation and screen size on large screens” is being gradually removed. This will allow users to take full advantage of the screen size of their device.

Another new feature included in Android 16 is the Live Updates feature, a new type of notifications designed to help users track and quickly access ongoing activities as they are updated in real time and can be viewed from the lock screen or in the notification panel.

Specifically, Google has noted that these notifications can be used for “ride-sharing, food delivery, and navigation” use cases. That is, with Live Updates you can show updated information in real time with, for example, the delivery status of food delivery orders or the activity of a requested transportation service.

Additionally, these notifications display custom icons to mark the start, end, and progress tracking of the notification, as well as relevant journey statuses or milestones.

In addition to all this, Android 16 also adds improvements in high-quality video recording, including support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. This allows you to record videos without loss of quality, supports a high bitrate range for content with 2K, 4K and 8K resolution, and adds support for HDR10/10+, in addition to including user-defined metadata. .

The technology company has launched this first public beta in advance compared to Android 15, whose first beta began to be distributed in April. Taking this into account, Google plans to launch four more beta versions of Android 16 between January and April of this year and, after that, will begin to distribute the final version from May, according to the roadmap shared by the company.

At the moment, the first beta of Android 16 is compatible only with Pixel smartphones, including the Pixel 6 series to the Pixel 9 series, with the standard, Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold models.