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Published 20:20 IST, January 29th 2025

Android 16: LIVE Updates Feature For Real-Time Notifications - All You Need To Know

With Live Updates, Android users will soon get a more seamless and real-time notification experience.

Reported by: Business Desk
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Android 16 Introduces ‘Live Updates’ for Real-Time Notifications
Android 16 Introduces ‘Live Updates’ for Real-Time Notifications | Image: R Business

The distinction between iOS and Android keeps getting fuzzier with each major upgrade on both fronts. Android users have long benefited from the significant additional customising tools that iOS 18 brought. Now that the first public beta of Android 16 is available, we're beginning to see some overlap.


If you’ve ever waited for an Uber, you’ve probably kept the app open or constantly checked notifications. iPhone users, however, have a more seamless experience thanks to Live Activities, which keep real-time updates visible on the Dynamic Island and lock screen. Until now, Android lacked an equivalent, but Android 16 is changing that with Live Updates.


What Are Live Updates?


Live Activities on iOS provide continuously updated notifications for things like rideshares, deliveries, and flights. Android 16’s Live Updates aim to bring similar functionality, ensuring persistent, real-time updates without flooding users with multiple notifications.


Android 16: Efficient Notification System


In Android 16 Beta 1, Google has introduced progress-centric notifications—a new style designed for tracking tasks like rideshare pickups, food deliveries, or navigation progress. This makes it easier for apps to show updates without requiring custom workarounds, like Uber previously did.


A key advantage of Live Updates is their prominent placement on the lock screen. Unlike regular notifications, they won’t be collapsed into the new compact notification shelf in Android 16. Leaks also suggest that Live Updates might always appear on the status bar and always-on displays, though Google has yet to confirm this.


Android 16: Work in Progress


While Google’s official blog post didn’t reveal all the details, Android 16’s developer documentation hints at additional features, including status bar chips and persistent lock screen visibility. However, since the feature is still under development, we’ll likely see more refinements in future betas.


With Live Updates, Android users will soon get a more seamless and real-time notification experience, making it easier to track important updates without constantly checking their phones.
 

Updated 20:23 IST, January 29th 2025