3 Android 16 adjustments that simply do not impress me in any respect

Upfront, I will admit that I am on document as preferring iPhones as of late. My each day driver is an

iPhone 16 Pro
. However I’ve owned a number of Android telephones over time, and I nonetheless respect the platform to this present day. 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 haven’t got a lot alternative however to license Google companies. It might be unusual to purchase an Android cellphone with out Gmail able to go, in spite of everything.

I am wanting ahead to making an attempt 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 to date, its newest OS nonetheless appears like a minor evolution. Let’s speak about 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 appears good. There are up to date dynamic shade themes, new font kinds, and much more interface animations, together with bounces and ripples for actions like swiping away your notifications. New aesthetics are literally certainly one of my favourite issues about updating any OS, since I take pleasure in personalizing my cellphone as a lot as attainable — with out severe modding work, anyway.

My criticism 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 through Stay Updates (one other factor borrowed from Apple). A yr from now, individuals are going to care way more about checking how quickly their

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

I could possibly be stood corrected down the road. Typically, not less than, these types 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 principle, however how about in follow?

Google

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

I am certain some individuals will profit vastly, however that is one other characteristic 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, despite the fact that I am out on the fitness center three nights per week, and our travels typically take us to the other facet of North America. A cellphone name or textual content message is normally 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, regardless of any Google assurances about encryption. To essentially reap the benefits of Discover Hub, you may additionally want the individuals you are sharing with to have it, too.

Mockingly, I feel Discover Hub’s expanded merchandise monitoring is an even bigger deal. Assist for UWB (ultra-wideband) will make some gadgets and tag equipment less complicated to seek out, and Google is increasing its companion listing, as an example, including the power to share Bluetooth tag knowledge 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 help?

Google

Gemini does belong in additional locations, notably automobiles. Typically it is troublesome sufficient to decide on music or a preset vacation spot whereas driving, by no means thoughts the stuff 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. If you happen to’re bored or curious, you can ask questions on every little thing from the Grand Canyon to the Spanish Inquisition.

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

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

Android XR, in the meantime, is an unknown amount, since there are no appropriate glasses or headsets obtainable to the general public but. Once they do arrive, Gemini goes to should show superb object recognition to be helpful, and that is on prime of minimizing the “hallucinations” (botched solutions) it typically offers. Google suggests utilizing Gemini on Android XR for duties like residence enchancment — however there’s some severe hazard potential if it makes errors about issues like electrical energy or plumbing.

I need 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 expertise, which you’d suppose can be a pure match. It might be an easier approach of making good residence automations, and a dialog is quite a bit simpler with out having to carry a cellphone or distant in entrance of your face.

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