Google unveils Android 16 updates with smarter notifications, added controls and expanded accessibility

Google has announced a wide set of Android 16 upgrades alongside new general Android and accessibility features, signalling a shift away from its traditional once-a-year update cycle towards more frequent releases. The Android 16 rollout begins this week on eligible Pixel devices, as per TechCrunch.

The latest version introduces AI-generated notification summaries designed to condense lengthy messages and group chats into concise, glanceable updates. A new “notification organiser” will automatically classify and silence lower-priority alerts, including promotions, news updates and social notifications, to help users cut through the clutter.

Android 16 also expands personalisation options. Users can now apply custom icon shapes, themed icons and a system-wide option that forces light-themed apps to adopt a darker appearance, even if they do not support dark mode natively.

Parents gain access to new controls within Android Settings, enabling them to set screen-time limits, schedule downtime, manage app usage and more. These tools aim to give families clearer oversight of how children use their devices.

Beyond Android 16, Google is rolling out several broader Android features. A beta tool called “Call Reason” allows users to mark calls to saved contacts as urgent; recipients will see this on their incoming screen, and the label will remain visible in their call history if the call is missed.

The company is also launching “Expressive Captions,” which display emotional cues — such as sad or joyful — across video messages and social posts, giving users clearer context when sound is muted.

To reduce spam and unwanted interactions, Android will now alert users when they are added to a group chat by an unknown number, showing key details before they decide whether to reply, exit or block and report. In Chrome, pinned tabs will now behave consistently with desktop, keeping pages fixed at the front of the browser.

Google’s Circle to Search tool has been upgraded as well. Users can now analyse suspicious messages by initiating Circle to Search, after which an AI Overview will assess whether the content appears fraudulent.

Accessibility improvements include enhancements to the Pixel’s “Guided Frame” camera feature, which will now offer richer scene descriptions such as identifying people, clothing and actions rather than simply flagging that a face is in the frame. Voice Access has also been made hands-free — users can activate it by saying, “Hey Google, start Voice Access,” removing the need for physical taps.

The updates are rolling out now, marking one of Google’s most comprehensive mid-cycle Android releases to date.