Google has celebrated an ‘Android Show’ where it has presented the novelties for Android 16. An anticipated look with which formally starts the Google I/O 2025 developer conference that will be held next week (May 20 and 21) at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View
Android is the most used operating system on the planet, well above Microsoft’s Windows, and is deployed by hundreds of millions of devices of any manufacturer and all fur. Smartphones especially, but also tablets, wearables, consoles and other devices. It is logical that year after year Be the star of the Google Conference for Developers. And interesting news are progressing that we are going to summarize and that we can surely expand next week.
News for Android 16 and following
The new version promises to be the largest update of the mobile operating system in years, as we could check in the beta version. If until now the major versions of Android were published in autumn, everything indicates that Google has advanced its development for a launch this same springAlthough the first devices with Android 16 are not expected to reach the last quarter of 2025.
The advance is important because of the development version Hundreds of manufacturers depend that license the operating system or use the new versions to update the million existing active devices. Entering the subject, we see developments in the main sections of the system, from the user interface to the security support, through the entrance – yet Gemini as Google’s great name for ia. We review the main.
User interface: Material 3 Expressive
He New design language That Google has developed, accidentally filtered last week, it will be one of the great novelties of Android 16 and following versions. Material Design 3 will be the general design language and has vital importance since it details how to create user interfaces for system apps, including areas such as visual, movement and interaction design.
Although Google would like a general adoption to unify designs, its use for the rest of the manufacturers who work with Android will be varied, when they use each of them alternative user interfaces. In any case, His influence is huge since it determines how application developers create content for the platform and customize the user experience.
Material 3 carries the characteristic android customization even further. The main objective seems to be to improve “elasticity”, that is, achieve a more fluid interaction and incorporates natural animations in each corner of the user interface.
The interactions feel more tactile and, for example, by sliding a notification, the entire screen vibrates with a spring movement, along with a haptic sound when removing it. Even everyday gestures, such as sliding down a tab, navigating recent applications or adjusting the volume, now have the same rebound.
We see themes of Updated dynamic colors and a bolder typographythroughout the system and also in main applications such as Gmail, photos and searches. Google is encouraging designers to go beyond “clean” and “boring” designs and to create expressive user interfaces that connect with people emotionally. There will also be improvements in the operation of Android adaptive applications, so that they work on any type of screen or guidance.
According to Google, expressive design focuses on the usability: Actively improve the user experience and help users quickly identify key actions on each screen and sail more efficiently. The result of all this is a more varied interface than the previous one, highlighting a floating toolbar and greater and easy -to -play buttons in certain areas where they do not interfere with other elements of the interface. It looks good, but we will see how it is concretized in the final experience.
Security
Other of the great novelties of Android 16 are the new safety configurations that intend to provide extra resistance layers against attacks that infect devices, intercept calls traveling through networks of insecure operators, send scams through messaging services or additional protection against the theft of devices.
The new system will include what Google calls ‘Advanced Protection’. This function arises in a context of the rise of the mercenary malware sold by NSO Group and an artisanal industry of other exploitation vendors. They offer attacks as a service through comprehensive platforms that exploit zero day vulnerabilities on specific devices, infect them with advanced spyware and then capture contacts, messages of messages, locations and other confidential information.
Advanced protection is Google’s last response to this type of attack. By just pressing a button on the device setting, users can enable various protections that can frustrate some of the most common techniques used in sophisticated attacks. In some cases, these protections reduce the performance and capabilities of the device, so Google recommends this new mode mainly to journalists, officials and other groups that are usually white of attacks or those that have more to lose if their terminals end up infected.
The activation of advanced protection will enable various security functions, both existing and new, that adopt a comprehensive defense approach to block phones in high -risk environmentsas border crossings, when they are target of repressive governments or when they connect to networks of ancient operators who lack modern antispione defenses.
Another of the added functions have the objective of Limit device theft Or, at least, prevent the business so that they are practically inventible. Smartphones are a frequent target for thieves, since they contain valuable personal information and reach high prices in second -hand markets. To protect this data, Android includes anti -theft protection functions that block the stolen phone.
While thieves could try to erase the data of the phones they intend to sell, Android already has solid protections against unauthorized factory restolations. Google announced that these protections against factory restoring will be even more effective at the end of this year.
The idea is to completely block unauthorized use until previous property is verified through a Google account or a screen block. During the configuration, after this restoration, the assistant will ask you to verify the property by starting the previously associated Google account or entering the pin, the password or the previous screen block lock pattern. If this verification is not performed, the configuration will be blocked and the device will be unusable.
Also interesting improvements in the function of Scam detection which will block suspicious messages in Google messages. Supported by AI, Google says that in Android 16 everything can be detected, from scams of “investment” in cryptocurrencies to fraudulent tolls, thus blocking billions of suspicious messages that users suffer every month.
Finally, point Find Huba new panel where you can track your phone and the label of your luggage or check if your child arrived safe and except home. The service will add more third -party bluetooth labels and, at the end of this year, it will take advantage of satellite connectivity (where companies admit it) so you can continue to share your location even when the signal is interrupted.
IA y Gemini
Google has been working to replace your personal assistant with Gemini and thus bring their technologies to any type of device that works with some of its operating systems. The intention is to expand their abilities from smart mobiles to watches, tablets, televisions or the mixed reality helmet that Samsung will release at the end of this year.
Gemini can do everything that the Google assistant could do, such as configuring timers or creating reminders, but with much more flexible natural language interactions. In Android Auto And in cars with integrated Google, you can also use Gemini Live, the Google tool to hold live conversations with AI on any topic you choose. And in the car, Gemini will assume the voice functions of the Google assistant, which will allow the AI to be talked about to navigate to a charger of electric vehicles near a park, summarize chaotic group chats or catch up with the news of the day while driving.
Google TV You will also use to obtain movie and series recommendations from your favorite genres, along with the basic AI assistant capacity to answer questions. Gemini will also be available on the new Android XR extended reality platform planned by the end of the year.
We will have more information from all this at the Google I/O 2025 conference that starts in California next week. We already update.
