- Google Maps has become the first app to support Live Updates in the latest Android 16 beta
- The new notification style allows some information to persist on the lock screen and status bar
- Android 16 is expected to release some time between April and June 2025
Though many of the best Android phones just recently got support for Android 15, beta versions of Android 16 are already available for Google Pixel users, bringing key upgrades to the operating system as well as to Google’s suite of default apps.
One of the most keenly anticipated upgrades coming with Android 16 is Live Updates, a new notification feature that allows notifications to display much more information as well as persist on the lock screen. A comparable feature, called Live Activities, rolled out to iOS devices last year.
As it turns out, Google Maps is the first app to support this new feature, with Android 16 adding the ability to see directions, time until your next turn, and your estimated time of arrival all in one Live Update notification.
This new Live Update is visible on the lock screen, and an estimated time of arrival persists in the status bar when the phone is unlocked, though as Android Authority notes, the new notification style is currently collapsed on the always-on display.
In a prior build of Android 16, Live Updates were available on the always-on display as an outline, so Google will likely re-enable this in the stable release or later betas.
Live Updates were technically introduced with the first beta of Android 16 back in January 2025, but as mentioned, no apps have supported them until now.
Android 16 is rolling out at a faster pace than normal, and we’ve previously heard that the next mainline update to Google’s mobile operating system will arrive sooner than usual in the second quarter of 2025 – that’s somewhere between April and June.
The update is due to bring Live Updates to a wide selection of the best Google Pixel phones as well as Android phones from other brands like Samsung and OnePlus. Of course, there’s much more on the way than a new style of notification – other keenly awaited Android 16 features include new camera tools and better app resizing for folding phones.
We’ll have the latest through our dedicated Android coverage, but for now, let us know what you’d like to see from Google’s next mobile operating system in the comments below.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
