Google rolls out Android 16 to Pixel phones, unveils AI-powered edit suggestion for Google Photos

Summary

A day after Apple announced operating system overhauls at WWDC 2025, Google has launched its own set of major software upgrades for phones. Starting Tuesday, a new release of Android 16 is rolling out to Google’s Pixel smartphone lineup, adding group chat to RCS, AI-powered edit suggestions to Google Photos, and support for corporate badges in Google Wallet. The release also focuses on better accessibility support and improved customization for messaging and contacts. Separate from Android 16, Google also announced upgrades as a part of its regular feature updates for eligible Pixel phones, “Pixel Drop.” Android 16 improvements Android 16 now features iOS-style live notifications on the lock screen for real-time updates and Google’s new Material 3 Expressive design language. There are new capabilities for safeguarding against theft and scams, along with an updated advanced protection mode to maintain security and privacy for public figures. Image Credits: Google Android 16 also adds support for Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio devices, so that you can use them instead of your phone’s mic for better call quality. You can also control volume on your device from your phone with new native controls. Image Credits: Google Later this year, Android 16 on Android tablets will get desktop-style windowing support, Google says. The company also plans to introduce custom keyboard shortcuts to let you define actions for finding an app through your own combination of hotkeys. For Android 16 and other supported releases of Android, Google is rolling out an update to Google Messages that adds RCS group chat support. You’ll be able to select custom icons and mute notifications for specific chats for a specified period of time. Android 16 also brings HDR screenshots, adaptive refresh rate, and forced grouping for notifications to reduce clutter in the notification drawer. Image Credits: Google Google Photos has an array of new features in Android 16 and other supported releases. Soon,...