Google released a new Android 16 beta earlier this week and, hiding beneath the scenes, there are more new features and changes in the works including custom icon shapes for the app launcher, a revamped notification panel, and more.
Android 16’s early releases have, so far, been rather void of new user-facing features. There are a few tidbits and tweaks, but nothing all that exciting. Behind the scenes, though, there’s work going on for a bunch of big changes, and a few more have been spotted in Android 16 Beta 3.
One of the new features coming is notification summaries, as we found strings in Beta 3 describing that feature, but Google also appears to be redesigning the notification panel as a whole as Android Authority spotted.
Evidence of a split notification and Quick Settings redesign has been around for quite a while now, but Android 16 Beta 3 introduces big changes to the design with a new notification panel that more prominently shows the time at the top – matching the clock style of your lock screen – while adding a dedicated bar for “Clear all,” notification settings, and notification history buttons. It’s a considerable departure from the current design, especially with a fully opaque background behind the notifications. With the update in design, new swipe gestures have also been added, with a swipe from the top left showing notifications, and a swipe from the top right showing Quick Settings. There’s apparently no gesture to switch between the two – most Android skins implement a left/right swipe to go between – but there are buttons at the top that act as a shortcut.
None of that is live by default yet, but it’s clear Google is working towards this as a pretty big change to Android as a whole.
Meanwhile, work was also spotted on the ability to change icon shapes for apps on your homescreen. Google supported this in the past, but removed the functionality in Android 12. It appears that this is largely being re-added just as it was a few years back. It was also spotted by Mystic Leaks on Telegram that Google may be working to add shapes to the lock screen, similar to what we’ve seen in OxygenOS/ColorOS, as well as Samsung’s One UI 7 recently. There would also be options to show weather effects.
Again, none of this is actually user-facing in Android 16 Beta 3, and it’s unclear when, if at all, any of it will be available. Google is set to release the final version of Android 16 around May or June, but we also know that’s not the last update coming. Android 16 QPR1 is already confirmed to deliver lock screen widgets more broadly, and Google’s schedule also places a second fairly big update to Android 16 later in 2025.
What do you think of the changes Google is working on?
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