3 Android 16 adjustments that simply do not impres...

Upfront, I am going to admit that I am on report as preferring iPhones lately. My each day driver is an

iPhone 16 Pro
. However I’ve owned a number of Android telephones over time, and I nonetheless recognize the platform to at the present time. There are issues that it does higher than iOS — akin to voice instructions — and I like the truth that it is open-source, even when {hardware} makers do not have a lot selection however to license Google companies. It might be unusual to purchase an Android cellphone with out Gmail able to go, in any case.

I am trying ahead to attempting gadgets with

Android 16
pre-loaded. Nevertheless, the interface impresses me as a lot as

iOS 18
did — which is to say, not very a lot. Enhancements are all the time welcome, but based mostly on what Google’s proven up to now, its newest OS nonetheless appears like a minor evolution. Let’s discuss a couple of examples of what I imply.

1

Materials 3 Expressive

A brand new coat of (physics-based) paint

Hyperlink Picture

Android 16 actually seems good. There are up to date dynamic shade themes, new font types, and much more interface animations, together with bounces and ripples for actions like swiping away your notifications. New aesthetics are literally one in every of my favourite issues about updating any OS, since I take pleasure in personalizing my cellphone as a lot as potential — with out critical modding work, anyway.

My grievance is simply that, for all of the hype round Materials 3 Expressive, it is not a radical leap past what you see in Android 15. If something, what issues extra are Google’s sensible interface adjustments, akin to the power to each resize and reorder Fast Settings icons (a la iOS 18’s Management Heart), or observe deliveries and rideshares by way of Dwell Updates (one other factor borrowed from Apple). A 12 months from now, individuals are going to care way more about checking how quickly their

Uber
goes to reach than what widget colours they’ve out there.

I may very well be stood corrected down the road. Generally, at the very least, these kinds of interface adjustments have a cumulative impact that may’t be conveyed by movies or screenshots. If Android 16 feels genuinely higher to make use of day-to-day on account of its visible tweaks, that may rely for one thing.

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2

Discover Hub private location sharing

Helpful in concept, however how about in observe?

Google

As an entire, I approve of the Discover Hub, a rebrand/redesign of Android’s Discover My Gadgets app. Considered one of its signature options is best sharing of your real-time location with different individuals, in concept, serving to family and friends reunite once they get misplaced, or examine in on one another’s security — say if somebody’s doing a sundown jog or coming again late from a highway journey. Sharers can select to time-limit this monitoring or go away it on indefinitely.

I am certain some individuals will profit tremendously, however that is one other function copied from Apple, particularly the Discover My app. And let me say — on my iPhone, my spouse and I nearly by no means use Discover My for following one another, regardless that I am out on the gymnasium three nights per week, and our travels typically take us to the other aspect of North America. A cellphone name or textual content message is often a pleasant approach of updating somebody on what you are doing, and a few individuals are inherently uncomfortable with sharing their exact location over the web, irrespective of any Google assurances about encryption. To actually benefit from Discover Hub, you will additionally want the individuals you are sharing with to have it, too.

Paradoxically, I believe Discover Hub’s expanded merchandise monitoring is a much bigger deal. Assist for UWB (ultra-wideband) will make some gadgets and tag equipment easier to seek out, and Google is increasing its associate listing, as an example, including the power to share Bluetooth tag information with choose airways, beginning in 2026. That is one other transfer copied from Apple.

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3

Gemini coming to extra gadgets

The place’s my Google Nest assist?

Google

Gemini does belong in additional locations, notably vehicles. Generally it is troublesome sufficient to decide on music or a preset vacation spot whereas driving, by no means thoughts the belongings you’d usually do in your cellphone. With Gemini,

Android Auto
(and the confusingly-named

Android Automotive
) will allow you to use your voice for duties like unearthing an handle buried in Gmail, or finding an EV charging station that additionally has a restaurant close by. In case you’re bored or curious, you can ask questions on every part from the Grand Canyon to the Spanish Inquisition.

The AI assistant is coming to Put on OS, Google TV, and

Android XR
as nicely, however I am skeptical of the way it’ll work on these platforms. Smartwatches typically really feel underpowered for what they’re already working, and I do not know that I belief Gemini for film and present suggestions, not to mention answering questions by displaying me YouTube movies. Even well-meaning YouTube channels typically get their information flawed.

Android XR, in the meantime, is an unknown amount, since there are not any suitable glasses or headsets out there to the general public but. Once they do arrive, Gemini goes to must show wonderful object recognition to be helpful, and that is on prime of minimizing the “hallucinations” (botched solutions) it typically supplies. Google suggests utilizing Gemini on Android XR for duties like dwelling enchancment — however there’s some critical hazard potential if it makes errors about issues like electrical energy or plumbing.

I wish to like Gemini, however I am not going to be impressed by its wider footprint till I see it in real-world conditions. And Google has but to replace any of its Nest audio system or shows with the know-how, which you’d suppose could be a pure match. It might be an easier approach of making good dwelling automations, and a dialog is loads simpler with out having to carry a cellphone or distant in entrance of your face.

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