Android 16 totally changes how notifications work on your phone, thanks to two new features

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

Android 16 officially rolled out a few weeks ago, and in addition to enhanced protection and productivity enhancements, the latest OS introduced several changes to how notifications are received. 

If you're anything like me, you get so many notifications that you occasionally miss important ones. Google has made two changes to your Android notifications, both aimed at keeping things easier to find.

Also: Updating to Android 16 gives you 2 useful security features - but you need to enable them

What's new with Android 16 notifications

Find your ride, package, or food at a glance: It sounds spectacularly spoiled to write this, but if I'm wrapped up in my favorite show, it can be frustrating to unlock my phone a dozen times to see exactly when my late-night wing delivery is going to land on my doorstep. Android 16 fixes this with live update notifications on your lock screen. 

Like live activities on iOS, the feature lets apps send timely, updated notifications without requiring the user to open an app or even unlock the screen. It works for food-delivery apps, ride-sharing apps, navigation apps, and timers -- essentially any sort of notification that's an ongoing activity.

While this feature officially debuted with Android 16, which rolled out in late June, it won't get a full rollout until later this year (speculation points to September). 

Auto-grouped notifications: Also new in Android 16 is a feature that automatically groups notifications from the same app to make sure you're not overwhelmed. If you get several notifications in a row (say, from your home cameras as someone walks up your driveway and to your door), they will group together to keep your screen looking organized. 

Google

How to handle notification overload

Aside from turning off individual app notifications, there are some things you can do if you're overwhelmed. If you have notification overload, there is a notification cooldown feature for Android that manages how often an app can send notifications. If you get several notifications from the same app in quick succession, your phone will automatically lower its volume and minimize those alerts while still prioritizing calls and alarms.

Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and why you should do it before installing Android 16) 

Our phones are pinging us more often than ever, but these changes will hopefully make them quieter and less annoying while still letting us see what we need. 

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