December Android 16 update is live: What’s new from Google?

Google Android 16 launched in JuneAnd with it came a ton of features and updates. Typically, Google does this until the next version, which is expected to be released in beta sometime in January or February 2026. That’s not the case this time, as Google has announced a number of new features coming to Android 16 as a mid-cycle refresh for the OS.

As is standard these days, a large percentage of the new features will be powered by AI and take advantage of Gemini’s ability to classify and summarize data. The rest are additional features that come in apps like Google’s Phone and additional customizations that you can use to personalize your phone even more.

Google posted not oneBut two blog posts As for what’s to come, you know it’s going to be good. To save you a few clicks, here’s everything coming in the next feature-packed Android 16 update. The December Android 16 update should roll out to Pixel devices starting today (Tuesday, November 2), with other Android devices getting the update when their OEMs get the update.

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AI can manage your information

Two big changes are coming in notifications. The first one is very simple. Google will allow AI to summarize longer notifications (like multiple messages in a group text) into concise summaries so you know what happened while you were away. These summaries can take multiple texts and summarize them in one or two sentences, making them easy to scan when doing a quick check. It seems like it’s specifically targeted at group chats with lots of messages, but it can work with other types of messages as well.

The second big notification change is an organizer function. This is exactly how Gmail filters messages and looks almost exactly the same in practice. Your various notifications will be categorized into news, promotions and other things, thus you can check your notifications as per your wish depending on what type of content you want to see. It’s a small change, but as a writer who gets maybe 55 emails a day, it would be a wonderful feature for me.

Mark your call as urgent

Cell phones make phone calls, and although people don’t use them as often these days, Google still wants to make the experience as good as possible. One of the new features is the ability to mark a phone call as urgent when you call to let the other person know that this is not an everyday catch-up call and they need to answer the phone.

This feature is Is being released on Google Phone appWhen you call, you will have the option to mark the call as urgent, The recipient will see that the call from their end is urgent, Even if they miss the call, it will be marked as urgent in their call log, so they know to call back as soon as possible,

Themed icons and improved dark mode

One of the long awaited and constantly requested features is the ability to theme icons within Android. This was previously possible with icon packs, but you also needed a custom launcher to use them. Google has finally incorporated at least some custom icon functionality into Android itself, letting users further customize their homescreens without requiring a ton of additional downloads.

Themed icons have three main functions. You can customize the icon shapes, and it will theme the icons using the same Material 3 Expressive theme that the rest of your phone uses to theme things. This should create a more consistent and minimal icon design, giving the end user more control over how things look.

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Additionally, Google also mentioned an extended dark mode that will work on apps that don’t already have dark mode. This isn’t very common these days, as most apps have a dedicated dark mode, but it helps smooth out those rough edges for apps that don’t have one.

Exit unwanted group chats immediately (when reporting them)

Joining a group chat can be annoying, especially when the group starts behaving stupidly (or worse, when it’s spammy). google messages A new feature is coming Remove yourself from such chats as soon as possible. This function works quite simply. When you’re pulled into a group chat under certain conditions, such as being added to an unknown number, you’ll get the option to leave the group chat directly from the chat, as well as the opportunity to block the number and report it as spam.

Circle Two Search can find spam

Speaking of spam, Google is adding another feature to help you track it down and get rid of it faster. When you find something you suspect is spam, you can be proactive Google’s Circle to Search function And circle the message. An AI overview will pop up to tell you whether the message is potentially legitimate or whether it’s definitely spam. If it’s spam, you know how to delete, block, and report the message so you never get it again.

See emotions in live caption video

Live Caption already does a lot for the hearing impaired by letting you read automatically. Google is expanding this functionality with what it calls Expressive Captions. The idea is very simple. Live Caption will not only transcribe what people are saying, but also listen to their tone of voice and show you the emotion with which people are talking.

Given that text has no tone intrinsically, this can lead to a variety of communication problems. It solves that problem by making an educated guess based on the context of the video. This probably won’t be 100 percent accurate all the time, as human emotions are complex, but it’s still a good idea, especially when video calling with friends.

better parental controls

Safety and security are usually in the spotlight when it comes to Android releases, and this time is no different. Google has added some new parental controls to the Settings menu, giving parents an easier place to access such controls on a child’s device. The setting is protected by a PIN, so children can’t easily get into it, allowing parents to configure things on the child’s device without worrying that the child will get into it.

Some of the new features in this parental control settings menu will include setting the amount of screen time, scheduling downtime to lock the device for things like sleep, controlling app usage to limit time spent on apps or block them completely, and allowing extra time if necessary. Parents will also have direct links to Google Family Link, where they can set up other things like app purchase approval, location alerts, and more.

Emoji kitchen and voice dictation in Gboard

Emoji Kitchen is a great little idea that lets you create custom emoji by combining two existing expressions, much like that silly pen-pineapple-apple-pen song from years ago. It is very simple. It still works the same way it did in Google’s Gboard app, but now New sticker combinations includedSome of which are made for the holiday season.

Gboard is also making it easier to use voice dictation in Gboard. The new gesture is a two-finger double-tap, and once activated, it will let you use voice dictation without having to press the specific microphone button on the keyboard. It’s a small thing, but tapping a small button on a keyboard can be helpful for people with motor skills deficits. Gemini’s Smart Dictation feature will also let you type and edit text, and even shorten text for you with the power of AI.

Pin your tabs in Google Chrome

It’s exactly what you think and works exactly how you think. Like the desktop version, the mobile version of Chrome now lets you pin tabs. These tabs remain even if you delete the rest of them, allowing you to save important webpages for later. Of course, the bookmarks function lets you do this too, but it’s still very useful, especially if you don’t like using bookmarks.

December Android 16 update: More miscellaneous updates

There are a lot of other little things that have been added to the update, and they aren’t enough for their own sections, so here’s a quick list of additional little changes.

• A shortcut for Live Caption is now available below the volume slider.

• The “Advanced HDR Brightness” setting now has an intensity slider that lets you set it dimmer or brighter.

• Google’s Health Connect now automatically adds steps tracked by your device.

• The Pixel Launcher design tweak has increased the size of the microphone, Google Lens, and AI mode icons while adding additional colors.

• The widgets return to the lock screen. go towards Settings > Display & touch > Lock screen > Widgets on lock screen To use them.

• Google has updated its Guided Frames feature in the Pixel Camera app to offer more detailed explanations when describing what’s in the frame.

• Users can now activate voice access just by asking. Say “Hey Google” and then “Start Voice Access” instead of searching in Settings.

• Fast Pair is expanding to hearing aids made by a group called Dement, which includes the Oticon, Sonic and Bernafon brands.

There are also several secret changes that are primarily aimed at developers. There are too many to list, but you can check them out for yourself (along with any features we missed). Android Developers WebsiteSome of them include boilerplate things like better app performance and better battery life,

Android 16 is a worthy update

Despite the fact that this is still the same Android 16 that launched a few months ago, it feels like as good a new Android update as I’ve seen in years. There’s a lot to like here, especially the additional improvements to the design. Notification categories and themed icons win the day in terms of OS customization and making productivity feel more complete, and everything else is just icing on the cake.