- Android 16 Beta 1 addresses issues with unoptimized apps on large screens, forcing developers to make them resizable.
- Live updates become a native feature, showing ongoing task progress in the status bar.
- It also brings supports Samsung’s Advanced Protection Video (APV) codec.
It seems like Android 15 just came out a few months ago, and that’s because it did back in October of last year. Fast-forward to today, we’re already past the two developer previews and receiving the first beta of the next Android release. Given this is the first public beta for the update, we are expecting some substantial changes, so without any further delay, let’s look at what’s new in Android 16 Beta 1.
What’s New in Android 16 Beta 1?
Starting off, Android 16 addresses one of the biggest issues when using some apps on tablets and foldable. For years, apps were left unoptimized for large screens and were restricted in portrait orientation, making them look out of place and wonky. So from now on, Android will ignore these restrictions forcing developers to make their apps resizable.
This forces developers to adapt apps for the large screen interface or opt out of it this time. But with the next Android version, the opt-out option will be removed as well. However, this excludes games. It’s such a good measure and shows that Google is finally taking tablets seriously .
Live Updates
Live updates are becoming a native part of Android with this build. This will show a notification and a prominent icon in the status bar for ongoing tasks, like food deliveries, timers, map navigation, and more. So developers can now show the current progress status like iOS on Android too. This can help bring third-party support to the current implementation of live activities on Samsung and OnePlus devices.
Image Credit: Mishaal Rehman (@MishaalRahman on X)
Wider Support for Predictive Back Gesture
Predictive back gesture is also coming for third-party apps with this update. It came out with Android 15 but only worked with system apps. Now any app that targets Android 16 or higher needs to include predictive back animations. With that said, you will see predictive back animations if you use three-button navigation.
Support for Samsung’s APV Codec
The last major change is the support for Samsung’s Advanced Protection Video (APV) codec. It is developed for professional-grade lossless videos. Android 16 will support APV 422-10 Profile that includes YUV 422 color sampling, 10-bit encoding, and up to 2Gbps bitrates. So you can expect to be able to record some industry-level videos from your device and use them for post-production.
Get Android 16 Beta 1 On Your Pixel
The latest Android 16 Beta 1 update is available for all Pixel devices, starting from the Pixel 6 series. If you are already running the Developer Preview build, then simply head to Settings > System > Software updates > System update . Here you can check for the Beta build and update your device.
In case you are on the stable release and wish to hop on to the Beta builds, then you can use our install Android 16 guide to do the same. However, it is worth noting that this is a work-in-progress software, which is prone to issues, glitches, and crashes.
With over 4 year of experience under the belt, I cover all facets of consumer tech, from smartphones to other consumer electronics, our favorite social media apps, as well as the growing realm of AI and LLMs. As an Apps and AI writer app Beebom, I provide my expertise in all these areas, weaving stories that help you get familiar with the tech around you. But you will find me playing NYT daily puzzles in my free time.
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- Android 16 DP2 on Pixel 9 adds a new Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock option.
- When enabled, it allows users to unlock their devices even when the screen is completely off.
- This should be a useful feature for those who don’t want to use AOD because of battery woes but want the Fingerprint to always be active.
Pixel 9 series was the first set of Pixel devices to get ultrasonic fingerprint sensors for faster unlock and better accuracy. However, like on most phones, users need to wake up the screen before they can use their finger to unlock the device unless the always-on display is enabled. Well, that’s changing with the Pixel 9 series as Google has added an option to unlock using their Pixel 9’s fingerprint sensor even when the screen is off.
In the Android 16 Developer Preview 2 that Google rolled out today, there’s a new Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock toggle on the Fingerprint Unlock page with the description “Use Fingerprint Unlock even when the screen is off”.
As the name suggests, this keeps the Fingerprint sensor active even when the screen is completely off. Users can then roughly predict where the fingerprint scanner is, and place and scan their registered finger to easily unlock the device without waking the screen up first.
Unfortunately, this only seems to work with the Pixel 9 ( review ) series and will probably be exclusive to the series because it sports an Ultrasonic Fingerprint sensor. However, users with older Pixel devices can still unlock when the screen is off (technically) by enabling the Always-on display from Settings > Display > Lock screen > Always show time and info . Mind you, Always-on affects battery life.
The Screen-off fingerprint unlock is definitely a great feature for those who don’t use AOD but still want to unlock the device without tapping and waking it up, especially when it’s lying flat on a table.
Abubakar covers Tech at Beebom, with his passion for technology tracing back to 2011 when he received a Dell Inspiron 5100 as a gift. He’s also a passionate advocate for the right-to-repair movement, believing in empowering users to maintain and extend the life of their devices. Outside the tech world, he enjoys watching anime and exploring his newfound enthusiasm for Japanese cars. In his free time, you’ll often find him immersed in Genshin Impact or researching his next gadget purchase. Before joining Beebom, he contributed to leading publications like Android Police, How-To Geek, and Fossbytes.
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