Android 16 early hands-on

The upcoming annual update to Google’s Android smartphone operating system will bring a host of improvements for many smartphone users in South Africa.

According to the latest available data from GlobalStats StatCounter, Android holds roughly 83% market share in South Africa.

While not all Android users in the country will receive the latest version of the software, the update should be available to a large part of its South African local customer base.

Many Android smartphone makers now offer extensive software support, with updates stretching beyond three years.

Samsung, the country’s best-selling smartphone brand, offers at least five years of major Android updates on all its smartphones, including its hugely popular Galaxy A series.

MyBroadband has been testing the Android 16 QPR 1 Beta — the first work-in-progress iteration of the OS available to the general public — on a Google Pixel 7 Pro for a week.

Google’s Pixel smartphones will be the first to get the new Android before it is distributed to other Android smartphone makers, such as Samsung, Honor, and Oppo.

This early version of the software offers subtle visual tweaks, including a more rounded font, more Quick Settings customisation, and new animations.

Google calls the new design language “Material 3 Expressive,” the latest evolution of its Material Design aesthetic.

One of the major changes is the ability to change the size of options in the Quick Settings panel, which appears when a user swipes down from the top of the display.

This doubles the number of options users can toggle, with up to eight options presented with one swipe or 16 with two swipes.

Alternatively, users could make some options larger and others smaller, depending on their preferences.

The options also change from circles when inactive to rounded rectangles or squares when toggled. Below are several screenshots showing what the Quick Settings panel looks like on a Pixel 7 Pro.

Another change users will notice is slightly reworked icons in the status bar for the clock, Wi-Fi, cell bars, and battery level. Like other elements in the user interface (UI), they sport a more rounded design.

The new cellular reception bars look like exclamation marks. Both their stripes and dots are used for individual signal bars, for more accurate representations of signal strength.

The battery icon has also been shifted from vertical to horizontal, while the percentage indicator has been moved inside the icon, resulting in a cleaner look.

Another change is the addition of drop-down menu in the Recent Apps interface, which provides quick access to various features like split-screen usage and screenshots.

Animations in Android 16 have also been improved to change some of the “physics” of the windows and other elements in the UI, intended to make navigation feel more intuitive.

On Pixel devices, the unremovable “At a glance” widget remains on the home screen but takes up less space. There is also a larger grid for putting more app icons on the home screen.

Other changes in Android 16 QPR 1 Beta include:

• Transparent overlay for the app drawer and other app windows
• Solid line at ends of volume slider and brightness sliders for more precise adjustments
• New Lock screen settings including customisation and Compact or Full Notifications
• Reorganised Settings app matching new design language with simplified options arrangement
• New “Notification History” at the bottom-left of the Notifications panel, as well as a bigger “Clear all” button in centre

Initial focus on looks — but new functionality on the cards

Overall, we had a positive first impression of Android 16. The focus with this beta is undoubtedly on the aesthetic side, with no dramatic changes in terms of functionality.

However, Google will roll out more features in upcoming betas before officially releasing the new operating system.

Among the other major capabilities announced at its Google I/O presentation are glanceable custom notifications showing live progress on things like an Uber delivery coming to your address.

AI-powered security features will include detecting when users are trying to sideload apps while on a call, a common tactic used by scammers to deploy malware to victim’s devices.

The Android Developer website lists 50 features and changes launching on Android 16 that might affect app developers.

Among the major adjustments that will be visible to users are new camera features, including the ability for fine colour temperature and tint adjustments for professional videographers.

There is also a new hybrid auto-exposure mode to manually control specific aspects of exposure while letting the auto-exposure algorithm handle the rest of the picture.

Many under-the-hood upgrades are designed to increase performance, stability, and battery life on Android devices.

The good news for those eager to test the new features is that Android 16 will arrive sometime in Q2 2025. In previous years, the rollout typically only occurred in the second half of the year.

While Pixel owners will be the first to enjoy the new operating system in its final form, OnePlus and Oppo have also started rolling out their beta builds of the software.

Samsung is expected to launch its OneUI-flavoured Android 16 update for the Galaxy S25 series in the US in the summer.

It should gradually become available on more Galaxy smartphones in the months thereafter, likely over the second half of 2025 in South Africa.