Google Maps is the first app to support Android 16’s Live Updates feature

One in every of the key options of the upcoming Android 16 launch is Live Updates, a feature that enables progress-centric notifications to be displayed prominently in the standing bar, notifications panel, lock display, and always-on show. When Google first introduced the feature in January, it wasn’t prepared for builders to check. With the most up-to-date Android beta launch, nevertheless, the Live Updates feature is lastly right here, and Google Maps is already prepared for it.

Late final week, Google launched Android 16 Beta 2.1, an incremental, bug-fixing replace on high of Android 16 Beta 2. Sometimes, these minor updates don’t include any new options, however to our shock, Beta 2.1 really introduced the new Live Updates feature, a minimum of partially. After I ran the demo app that I used for our first take a look at the Live Updates feature, I seen that the app’s notifications had been being proven as standing bar chips. They had been additionally displayed prominently in the notifications panel above even precedence conversations (however under the media panel), making them arduous to miss.

The demo app wasn’t the just one whose notifications had been being displayed this fashion. A number of customers have advised me that the Google Maps app has additionally began to support Live Updates. I used to be ready to confirm this alone Pixel operating Android 16 Beta 2.1 with the newest model of Google Maps.

As you may see in the picture proven under, Google Maps can’t solely present the time till the subsequent flip but additionally the ETA in its standing bar chip. It may also present different turn-by-turn info that I haven’t encountered but. Needless to say Android 16 will lower off the textual content in standing bar chips if it’s too lengthy, so it’s unlikely Maps will present detailed info in the chip. This is extra probably to occur if multiple app is displaying a Live Replace, as the chip can have to be lower off on many gadgets with a centered hole-punch cutout.

Google Maps’ standing bar chip makes use of the normal navigation icon and inexperienced background shade that the app is identified for, making it clear to anybody what app it belongs to. Tapping it brings down the notification as a heads-up panel, permitting you to view the notification with out knocking down the full panel.

Sadly, the notifications from each the demo app and Google Maps had been collapsed on the always-on show, which is why I mentioned the feature was solely partially accessible in Android 16 Beta 2.1. After I absolutely enabled the feature final month, I demonstrated how Live Updates had been proven in full as a wireframe on the always-on show, as opposed to different notifications that appeared solely as icons. It’s probably this side of the feature will go dwell in the subsequent Android beta, however we don’t know for positive. When it does go dwell, seeing turn-by-turn navigation data from Google Maps can be simpler than ever.

Thanks to JING, A_Button117, and Prasham Parikh for the tip!