More Android smartphones will soon support AI-powered notification summaries. The feature is bundled with the latest version of Android 16 and is only available on Pixel devices for now, but its inclusion in the update suggests it will be available on third-party smartphones next.
Additionally, Google is launching a new notification organizer that automatically groups and hides “low priority” notifications related to promotions, news, and alerts from social platforms. Other updates coming to Android 16 include the ability to personalize your home screen with custom icon shapes and themes. You can also use the new and expanded Dark Mode feature. This will automatically darken your app even if the theme isn’t natively supported.
Google is Android’s[設定]We’ve also integrated parental controls within the menu, allowing parents to set screen time, control app usage, and schedule downtime from one place. Other features rolling out across Android include ways to spot scams with Circle to Search and updates to the Phone by Google app that lets you notify family and friends of an emergency call. However, you and the caller must be using an Android device with Phone by Google set as the default calling app.
We’ve also launched quite a few accessibility updates across a variety of devices. Google has announced that it will make its expressive captioning feature, which attempts to capture the intensity of real-time audio, available to everyone on YouTube. This option will be available for English videos uploaded after October.
Expressive Captions on Android devices detects and displays someone’s emotions during a live stream, tagging them with emotions like “.[joyful]” or “[sad]” Other tweaks include the ability to use a two-finger double-tap gesture in Gboard to activate voice dictation with Android’s TalkBack screen reader. You can also start using Voice Access, which lets you control your phone with your voice, by saying, “Hey Google, start Voice Access” instead of tapping the screen.
Google is also launching Fast Pair for hearing aids. This allows you to connect your Bluetooth LE hearing aids to your Android device with just one tap. This feature will first start with Demant hearing aids and then roll out to Starkey devices in early 2026.
A complete list of updates coming to Android 16 and Android devices can be found on Google’s website.
