Jun 10, 2025
Check out more helpful and streamlined notifications, multitasking tools to keep you in the flow, enhanced support for hearing devices and more.

Android 16 is here, rolling out first to supported Pixel devices and other phone brands later this year. Expect streamlined notifications with live updates from compatible apps plus grouped notifications to reduce clutter. You’ll also see clearer calling with hearing device enhancements and stronger security with Advanced Protection.

• “Android 16 is here!” This article highlights the newest Android release, rolling out to Pixel devices first.
• Live updates from apps like food delivery will appear in notifications, and notifications from one app will be grouped.
• Android 16 improves hearing aid compatibility, letting you use your phone’s mic for clearer calls.
• Advanced Protection gives you stronger security against online attacks, harmful apps, and scam calls.
• Desktop windowing on tablets lets you open multiple app windows, like on a computer, for better productivity.

Android 16 is here and it’s got cool new stuff. You can see live updates for your food deliveries. It also makes calls easier for people with hearing aids. Plus, it has stronger security to keep your phone safe.
Today, we’re bringing you Android 16, rolling out first to supported Pixel devices with more phone brands to come later this year. This is the earliest Android has launched a major release in the last few years, which ensures you get the latest updates as soon as possible on your devices.
Android 16 lays the foundation for our new Material 3 Expressive design, with features that make Android more accessible and easy to use. Let’s take a look at what’s new:
Waiting for your food delivery to get to your house? Instead of opening your delivery app every 5 minutes, live updates keep you informed in real-time. These live updates are starting with compatible ride-share and food delivery apps. We’re working together with these app partners to bring this capability to the Android ecosystem, including in Samsung’s Now Bar and OPPO and OnePlus’ Live Alerts.
UI may vary
We’re also force-grouping notifications that come from a single app to help reduce information overload. Your notifications will automatically be grouped together to keep things looking tight and organized.
Android 16 provides significant enhancements for people who use hearing aids ¹ . Current LE audio hearing devices use their built-in front-facing mics for audio input. Those mics are designed to pick up the sound of the person you’re speaking to — not the sound of your voice. Now you can switch to using your phone’s microphone for clearer calls in noisy environments.
We’re also releasing native control for hearing devices in Android 16 for easier access and a more consistent experience. This means you can now control things like volume on your hearing devices right from your Android phone.
With Android 16, you can now activate Advanced Protection ² , Google’s strongest mobile device protection. It enables an array of robust device security features that protect you from online attacks, harmful apps, unsafe websites, scam calls and more. Whether you’re a public figure or you just prioritize security, Advanced Protection gives you greater peace of mind that you’re protected against the most sophisticated attacks.
Samsung DeX has helped maximize productivity on phones, foldables and tablets for years. In Android 16, we worked closely with Samsung to develop desktop windowing, a new way to interact with your apps and content on large-screen devices. In addition to the single app and split-screen modes, you can open, move and resize multiple app windows in a single screen, just like a desktop. This makes it easier to work across apps. Android 16’s desktop windowing will roll out later this year on compatible devices.
Later this year, we’re also launching custom keyboard shortcuts, so you can create your own combination of hotkeys, and taskbar overflow, which provides a simple, visual way for you to find the app you need when the taskbar is full. Future updates will also bring even more productivity enhancements to Android, allowing you to connect tablets and phones to an external display for an expanded desktop experience, and developers can begin testing those features starting today.
There are many more features to explore with Android 16 — like HDR screenshots, adaptive refresh rate, identity check and others — as well as additional updates coming to Android and Pixel devices today. And later this year, more Material 3 Expressive design updates are coming to Android 16 and Wear OS 6 on Pixel devices.
See all the Android 16 features at Android.com/16.
Requires hearing aids and Android devices with LE Audio support. They must be within Bluetooth distance. Some features, such as ambient volume control, require hearing aid manufacturer support.
Availability may vary by manufacturer and device. Some features will launch later this year.

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Jun 10, 2025
Customize icons in group chats, elevate photos with the new image editor, add extra time to Safety Check and more.

Android is releasing six new personalized features for you. Customize group chats in Google Messages with unique icons and names. You can also use the redesigned Google Photos image editor with AI-powered suggestions. Plus, manage Google Home Favorites across devices and extend Safety Check in the Personal Safety app. New Emoji Kitchen stickers are available and you can make faster public transit payments from your Wear OS watch. Check out android.com/updates for more information.

• “6 new Android features that are tailored to you” introduces personalized updates for your Android devices.
• Personalize group chats in Google Messages with custom icons, names, and notification settings.
• Google Photos’ redesigned editor uses AI to help you easily edit photos with a single tap.
• Customize Google Home Favorites across devices for faster smart home product management.
• Extend Safety Check time easily on your phone or watch if you decide to keep your outing going.

Android is getting some cool new features to make it more fun. You can now change how your group chats look and make your photos super awesome with special effects. It’s also easier to control your smart home stuff from different devices. Plus, you can now pay for the bus or train with your watch even faster.
Today, we’re sharing six new Android features designed to be made your own. From a daily AI-generated audio show based on your interests, to customized Google Home Favorites across your devices, these personalized features travel with you whether you’re at home or on the go. Here’s what’s new.
Coming soon, you can personalize group chats with new features in Google Messages. Set up a custom icon for your RCS group chat and give it a unique name so it stands out from the rest. Plus, see which friends in your contact list have RCS enabled and mute notifications on specific group chats for a duration of your choosing.
Elevate group chats in Google Messages
Editing in Google Photos is easier than ever with our redesigned image editor, coming soon. New AI-powered suggestions help you elevate photos in a single tap and get the right tools the moment you need them — just tap, circle or brush what you want to edit. With Reimagine, just describe what you want to see and your ideas will come to life, and Auto frame helps you expand your scene or nail the perfect crop. Your go-to tools are always within reach.
Elevate images in Google Photos with a tap
Coming soon, you’ll be able to find and manage smart home products faster by setting up device-specific shortcuts for your Favorites in your Google Home app. For example, you can pin your security cameras to your Google TV, your kitchen speaker to your Android phone and your thermostat to your Wear OS smartwatch — whatever combination makes it easier to manage your home.
Manage smart home products with tailored Favorites on each device
Keep your outing going with peace of mind by extending the time of your Safety Check in the Personal Safety app. When you’re out exercising or exploring solo, Safety Check lets you schedule a specific check-in time to make sure you arrive back safely. And if you don’t respond, your location is shared with emergency contacts. Now, if you decide to stop for a smoothie in the middle of your run, you can easily extend the check-in time with a tap of your phone or smartwatch — instead of creating a whole new Safety Check.
Go further and feel safer by adding extra time with a few taps
New Emoji Kitchen sticker combinations are here to help you point 🫵 or flex 💪 your way to more expressive chats. From thankful carrots 🙏 + 🥕 to pointing pigs 🫵 + 🐷, remix your favorite emoji and share them with friends as stickers via Gboard.
Express yourself better with new combinations in Emoji Kitchen
Riding public transit is now smoother than ever when you pay from your Wear OS smartwatch. You can tap right away with city transit cards even when the Google Wallet app is closed. If you use a credit or debit card to tap, make sure to turn this feature on first in your settings.
Learn about these features and more at android.com/updates, watch highlights from The Android Show: I/O Edition, and find out what Android 16 is bringing to your devices starting with Pixel today. If you have a Pixel device, also check out the newest updates.
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Now you’ll be able to track the progress of your ride or food delivery in real-time.
Now you’ll be able to track the progress of your ride or food delivery in real-time.
Android 16 is officially here, and it’s coming to Pixel devices first with Google’s take on the iPhone’s Live Activities. On Tuesday, Google announced that it’s starting to roll out Live Updates with ride-share and food delivery apps, allowing you to track the progress of your ride or delivery with persistent, real-time notifications.
Google first started working on Live Updates last year before launching the feature in beta in January. We could soon see Live Updates go beyond ride-share and food delivery apps, too, as users also spotted Google Maps using live updates for navigation in the Android 16 beta. Live Updates will appear in the Now Bar on Samsung devices, and in Live Alerts on Oppo and OnePlus phones.
However, Google says users will have to wait for a future update before Live Updates are “fully realized.” It’s also not including its big Material 3 redesign in Tuesday’s update.
Along with Live Updates, Android 16 will also clean up your general notification drawer by automatically grouping alerts from the same app.
Another update aims to improve call quality for people wearing hearing aids with their device. Right now, Google says most LE hearing devices use their front-facing microphones for audio input, though these mics are meant to pick up the sound of people speaking to you rather than your own voice. If you’re wearing hearing aids while on a call, you can now switch to using your phone’s microphone instead. Android 16 includes native control for hearing devices, which lets you adjust volume, set a default microphone for calls, and more.
Additionally, you can now enable Advanced Protection — a feature that protects at-risk users from harmful apps, unsafe websites, online attacks, and more — on your phone. Google is readying the launch of its DeX-like desktop experience for Android with custom keyboard shortcuts, too, which developers can begin testing starting today before a wider rollout later this year.
Google also announced several other smaller but notable updates coming to its apps. That includes the ability to set a custom icon for RCS group chats in Google Messages, and mute notifications on group chats for specific durations. Google is bringing a redesigned editor to Photos to more devices as well, along with a way to add more time to your Safety Check.
Meanwhile, Google Home is getting an update that should make it easier to manage smart home products from different places, as it will now let you create shortcuts for specific devices for Favorites in Google Home. That means you can pin your security cameras to your Google TV, or pin your thermostat controls to your Wear OS smartwatch. If you have a Wear OS watch, you’ll now be able to tap city transit cards without opening your Google Wallet app, too.
Android 16 will roll out Pixel devices first, while more Material 3 Expressive design updates will head to Android 16 and Wear OS 6 on Pixel devices later this year.
Update, June 10th: Clarified that Live Updates will be “fully realized” in a future update.
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Copyright © 2025 Entrepreneur Media, LLC All rights reserved. Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC
By Summit Ghimire Edited by Kara McIntyre Feb 20, 2025
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SEO is a highly competitive, constantly shifting field, and sometimes, it can feel impossible for businesses to stand out. However, user-generated content is an SEO tool many businesses do not realize they can benefit from. In fact, 25% of search results for major brands actually link to user-generated content.
UGC is becoming increasingly impactful, but many brands do not take the time to design and consistently curate a user-generated content marketing strategy. Those who do may not realize that they should also be integrating their UGC marketing strategy with their SEO efforts to discover their true potential. UGC boosts visibility on social media platforms and can also significantly enhance the effectiveness of SEO efforts by boosting conversions, click-through rates and organic search rankings.
Related: Why Brands Should Control User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is any content authentically created by your customers. Common examples include reviews, ratings or testimonials. It could also include photos posted of clothing or products, unboxing videos, before-and-after photos or FAQs posted in a public forum. True UGC is not created by the brand itself but by actual customers or clients who are excited about the brand.
There are different processes for creating UGC; it might be created organically or incentivized by a business. Regardless of how UGC is being generated, it’s important to ensure that it remains authentic to build your credibility. It’s also important to note that 86% of consumers trust UGC over content created by influencers since brand deals are often seen as simply another form of paid ads.
It’s not a secret that consumers use UGC to make purchasing decisions; only 3% of people say they never read reviews. However, many businesses do not realize that UGC also has the potential to unlock SEO success.
Additionally, 60% of users view UGC as the most authentic form of content. This is why UGC contributes to E-E-A-T. This represents several of the factors Google prioritizes most: experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness. Effective use of UGC contributes to all four of these categories.
Featuring user-generated content means that you continually acquire fresh content, which is another significant ranking factor for search engines. Since UGC is created by your target demographic, it will often feature relevant long-tail keywords that can both inform and boost your SEO strategies. When UGC content is highlighted effectively, it increases click-through rates and dwell time, contributing to SEO success.
UGC can also help you achieve SEO results in areas that often prove challenging. It can increase your visibility and engagement with specific demographics, in particular, Gen Z and millennial consumers. These age groups increasingly rely on UGC as a symbol of authenticity and are willing to create UGC for brands they love. UGC often references specific locations, so it can contribute to local SEO campaigns as well.
Related: The Beginner’s Guide to User-Generated Content
Consumers point to several forms of content, photos, Q&As and reviews, as the user-generated content they rely on the most. Highlighting your average review score, as well as the number of reviews you have, also increases consumer trust. Whatever type of UGC you choose to pursue and feature, it’s important that it be authentic, whether or not you offer any incentive. UGC will actually undermine your brand if users can tell that it is not authentic. Other types of UGC include public FAQ forums that can highlight your customer service, as well as videos, before and after photos, photo competitions and more.
Related: 5 Ways to Use User-Generated Content in Your Marketing
The type of UGC you choose to feature will largely depend on two things: your business and your customers. But if you want to use UGC to boost your SEO, here are a few ways to get started.
It’s important for businesses to realize that UGC is not limited to social media campaigns; it can have a significant impact on their SEO campaigns as well. Paying attention to the success of your UGC campaign can also help you improve your SEO efforts by showing you who your key demographic is, what they’re looking for and what information they need more of. By paying attention to where your UGC strategies intersect with your SEO efforts, you can build a brand that is credible, visible and successful.
SEO is a highly competitive, constantly shifting field, and sometimes, it can feel impossible for businesses to stand out. However, user-generated content is an SEO tool many businesses do not realize they can benefit from. In fact, 25% of search results for major brands actually link to user-generated content.
UGC is becoming increasingly impactful, but many brands do not take the time to design and consistently curate a user-generated content marketing strategy. Those who do may not realize that they should also be integrating their UGC marketing strategy with their SEO efforts to discover their true potential. UGC boosts visibility on social media platforms and can also significantly enhance the effectiveness of SEO efforts by boosting conversions, click-through rates and organic search rankings.
Related: Why Brands Should Control User-Generated Content
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