A day after Apple announced operating system overhauls at WWDC 2025, Google launched its own set of major software upgrades for phones.
Starting Tuesday, a new release of Android 16 is rolling out to Google’s Pixel smartphone lineup. What’s more, it is adding group chat to RCS, AI-powered edit suggestions to Google Photos, and support for corporate badges in Google Wallet. The release also focuses on better accessibility support and improved customization for messaging and contacts.
Separate from Android 16, Google also announced upgrades as a part of its regular feature updates for eligible Pixel phones, “Pixel Drop.”
Android 16 improvements
Android 16 now features iOS-style live notifications on the lock screen for real-time updates and Google’s new Material 3 Expressive design language. There are new capabilities for safeguarding against theft and scams, along with an updated advanced protection mode to maintain security and privacy for public figures.
Android 16 also adds support for Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio devices so that you can use them instead of your phone’s mic for better call quality. You can also control volume on your device from your phone with new native controls.
Later this year, Android 16 on Android tablets will get desktop-style windowing support, Google says. The company also plans to introduce custom keyboard shortcuts to let you define actions for finding an app through your own combination of hotkeys.
For Android 16 and other supported releases of Android, Google is rolling out an update to Google Messages that adds RCS group chat support. You’ll be able to select custom icons and mute notifications for specific chats for a specified period of time.
Android 16 also brings HDR screenshots, adaptive refresh rate, and forced grouping for notifications to reduce clutter in the notification drawer.
Google Photos has an array of new features and other supported releases. Soon, the app will be able to suggest editing tools like erase, move, or “reimagine” for portions of an image.
Other Android improvements include the ability to favorite devices in the Google Home app and support to pay for public transit using Google Wallet on Wear OS devices, so you don’t need to take out your phone.
Pixel June features
Alongside the new version of Android 16, Google is rolling out its latest set of monthly Pixel feature upgrades.
A new “Pixel VIPs” widget lets you view interactions with favorites in your contact list. It shows you your last calls and messages with the person, including any you received from WhatsApp, and updates such as birthday and location if the contact chooses to share them.
Pixel phones are also getting more detailed captions for video content, including livestreams. You’ll see captions that describe if someone is whispering, yawning, or clearing their throat, for example.
Elsewhere, you can create custom stickers using text prompts directly from Google’s Gboard keyboard. Google is adding support for AI-powered summaries in French and German to the Recorder app. And users in Australia will get Android’s Emergency SOS satellite connectivity feature.
Google is adding a battery health indicator for users with the Pixel 8a and newer Pixel devices (but not the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro), and Pixel 5 and later devices are getting a new accessibility feature through the Magnifier app. You can use Magnifier to describe what you’re looking for, and the app will then highlight the item if there is a match and give you feedback via haptics.
Enterprise Android users are also getting updates, including the ability to store their corporate badges in Google Wallet. What’s more, they can use Google’s Gemini chatbot app in the Google Docs app on Android to summarize content, get insights, and translate text. Lastly, Google is enhancing Chrome on Android’s handling of PDFs with linked document viewing.
June’s Pixel Drop updates start rolling out Tuesday.
The story has been updated to reflect that RCS Group chat and Google Photos features are rolling out to wider Android ecosystem.
