Android 16 is still a couple of months away from its expected earlier launch in 2025, but Google Maps users can already start using one of the most anticipated features.
One of the key updates coming to the best Android phones later this year is Live Updates, which are notifications running from key apps that continually update on the home screen and lock screen.
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Now, in the latest public beta version of the Android 16 operating system, the erstwhile navigation app has become the first to make use of the feature.
Android Authority was first to spot the rollout of Live Updates within Android 16 beta 2.1, and it takes the form of showing the next turn and the ETA within the status bar and notifications panel.
When users tap the small indicator in the status bar they can tap it to see more information in the expanded notifications panel, the report says. It’s likely they’ll be shown on the lock screen too, although that element doesn’t appear to be active yet judging by the screenshots posted alongside the report.
The feature is expected to roll out across major Android apps and provide key updates when it comes to progress-centric activities. So, deliveries, incoming ride shares, and yes turn-by-turn directions are likely to be among them.
“Live Updates are a new class of notifications that help users monitor and quickly access important ongoing activities,” Google revealed in January upon releasing the first public beta for Android 16.
While Apple has been offering Live Activities on the iPhone for a couple of years now, Google has been slower to adopt the feature, which handily keeps you abreast without having to pop in and out of the same app.
Samsung also announced a similar feature called Now Bar during its Galaxy S25 launch on January 22. However, Samsung’s version feels like a more advanced version. It uses Galaxy AI takes note of user’s personal context to predict the information they’d like to see.
When will we see Android 16?
Google is getting an earlier start this year and that’s likely to mean Pixel phone owners get the update by the summer. We’re expected Google to take the wrappers off the major new features – likely to be Gemini AI-based – at the annual Google I/O keynote on May 20.
