Google has officially begun rolling out Live Updates with the stable release of Android 16, offering a glimpse at its long-awaited answer to Apple's Live Activities. Live Updates are a new class of notifications designed to provide real-time updates for ongoing activities like food delivery, ride-hailing pickups, navigation, and timers.
These notifications come with elevated permissions, enabling them to appear above standard alerts - including in the status bar and on the lock screen. However, the initial rollout of Android 16 only supports Live Updates in a limited capacity. Full system-level integration is expected later in 2025, ahead of support for Wear OS devices.
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In its current form, Android 16 allows apps to generate Live Updates using progress-style notifications, but the system doesn't treat them any differently from standard notifications. As a result, these alerts lack a fully expanded view that sets Live Updates apart.
Notably, Google didn't provide a firm timeline for full Live Updates integration. The feature's absence in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 cast doubt on its rollout, but signs of progress emerged in QPR1 Beta 2 and 2.1. Android analyst Mishaal Rahman, writing for Android Authority, noted that Google is adjusting the underlying requirements for what qualifies as a Live Update - a move that may explain the staggered release.
Full support is still in development, but Android users can expect the polished version of Live Updates to arrive in upcoming updates later this year.
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