Ahead of Google I/O 2025, the company gave us a teaser of what Android 16 will bring at a new event dubbed “The Android Show.” But if you thought Google would spill all the juicy details early, well… not quite.
In a special Android I/O edition on Tuesday, Google confirmed what almost everyone already knew: Android 16 is getting a UI glow-up called Material 3 Expressive. Beyond that, the presentation pivoted hard into Gemini AI — mostly on devices other than your phone or laptop — and doubled as a glorified promo reel for the Galaxy S25 Edge and other recent Android-powered hardware.
Check out the new homescreens for Android 16 and WearOS.
Credit: Google
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Was it underwhelming? Kind of. But to give credit where it’s due: Material 3 Expressive is pretty damn good-looking. What we saw during the stream looked bouncy, fluid, and unapologetically vibrant, like if Corporate Memphis art stopped trying so hard to be quirky and just leaned into the fun.
Fingers crossed we get more details during the big I/O keynote on May 20.
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Here’s what we know about Android 16
The new Android 16 UI will be more colorful and animated.
Credit: Google
The one real feature worth getting mildly excited about? Screen-off fingerprint unlock is finally coming to older Pixels. Once exclusive to the Pixel 9 in early developer builds, this slick unlock method now works all the way back to the Pixel 6, including the 6a, 7, and 8 series. No more tapping the screen just to scan your finger.
Right now, this biometric feature is only live on Android 16 Beta 3. And if this update is any indication, Android 16 isn’t aiming to reinvent the wheel. It’s more about smoothing out the ride — tweaks, polish, and quality-of-life upgrades that quietly patch up the friction points left behind by Android 15.
The full version is slated to land sometime before the end of June, according to Google.
What else is different with Android 16 vs. Android 15? Here are some of the additional changes we know about so far:
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A new look courtesy of Material 3 Expressive UI updates
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New accessibility features for tools such as TalkBack
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Camera improvements such as improved temperature/tint adjustments, new hybrid auto-exposure modes, extra support for UltraHDR images
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Photo picker improvements for apps that use this feature
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Third-party apps will be able to disable AI writing tools
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Better night-mode detection in photo/video apps
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Auracast broadcast audio support for compatible hearing aids (specifically for Pixel 9 devices)
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Improved text contrast
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Additional Gemini features, though details are scarce so far
