Android 16 may do its greatest iPhone Dynamic Island impression

Notifications are one of the crucial essential options of any working system, particularly cell ones like Android the place most apps aren’t all the time operating. That’s why Google is consistently tinkering with notifications to make them extra helpful, much less distracting, or each. In current releases of Android, for instance, Google made each notification dismissible, minimized heads-up notifications whereas displaying movies, and blocked outdated notifications. Subsequent yr’s Android 16 replace may introduce even larger modifications to notifications on Android by letting apps create Wealthy Ongoing Notifications.

From what I’ve managed to glean from the newest Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 launch, Wealthy Ongoing Notifications is a brand new API that lets apps present extra than simply an icon within the standing bar. The API will let apps create chips with their very own textual content and background shade that stay within the standing bar, type of just like the new display recording chips that Google launched within the earlier Android beta replace. It’s possible that tapping these chips will open some type of dialog supplied by the app that exhibits extra details about the continued notification, which is, once more, just like the brand new display recording system that Google simply rolled out.

Google remains to be engaged on the Wealthy Ongoing Notifications API, so there are plenty of particulars I don’t find out about simply but. For the reason that API isn’t accessible to Android apps in the mean time, I can’t absolutely exhibit what Wealthy Ongoing Notifications will likely be like. Nevertheless, Google created a command-line interface so it will possibly prototype what Wealthy Ongoing Notifications will appear to be when created by completely different apps. Utilizing some hidden instructions, I used to be in a position to create some mock Wealthy Ongoing Notifications that confirmed no matter app icon, textual content, and background shade I needed.

For instance, right here’s a gallery that exhibits what the Wealthy Ongoing Notifications API might be used for in Android 16. I created a mock notification from the Google Clock that claims an alarm is about to go off in 10 minutes, a mock notification from the Uber app that claims my trip will arrive in 5 minutes, and a mock notification from the United Airways app that claims my flight will board in 9 minutes. As you may see, there’s probably rather a lot that Android apps can do with Android 16’s Wealthy Ongoing Notifications API.

I do know what a lot of you’re considering — Google is simply copying the iPhone’s Dynamic Island function. Whereas it’s doable that Google was impressed by Apple to work on the Wealthy Ongoing Notifications API, it’s additionally essential to notice that standing bar chips aren’t new to Android and in reality predate Apple’s Dynamic Island function. Android 12 added an API that lets dialer apps present the period of an ongoing name in a standing bar chip a full yr earlier than Apple launched its Dynamic Island function.

Android 16 opening up standing bar chips to all apps could be a significant growth of the function. It’s most likely true that this growth was impressed by Dynamic Island, however it wouldn’t be truthful to name Wealthy Ongoing Notifications itself a clone. My emotions on the function may change because it evolves, although, because it’s clearly not completed but. We’re nonetheless months away from the potential Android 16 launch date, so there’s nonetheless plenty of time for Google to make modifications. The rationale I feel Wealthy Ongoing Notifications will likely be an Android 16 function is as a result of it’s tied to a brand new API and the present launch of Android — Android 15 — has already reached Platform Stability.

What do you consider Android 16’s new Wealthy Ongoing Notifications function? Tell us within the feedback beneath!