7 Android 16 additions that are quietly working for you

Android updates have gotten tricky to keep track of these days — between the polar-opposite problems of unpredictably poky progress from most non-Google device-makers and perplexingly overlapping updates from Google with its self-controlled Pixel phones. 

(What’s this update I’m seeing now? Is it Android 16, the Android 16 “QPR1” or “QPR2” quarterly update, some manner of “Android feature drop” or “Pixel drop,” or some sort of beta update I opted into somewhere along the way? Trick question: All of those things are actually part of Android 16! Good luck sorting that out in your soggy cerebellum.)

The good news, though, is that at the end of the day, labels only mean so much. No matter which flavor of Android 16 you’re running, once the software is on your device, you’ll have tons of new tricks to try out — and, all engaging exploration aside, your trusty Googley gizmo will be doing some splendidly smart things for you that require no active effort on your part and might not even be obvious that they’re present.

We already looked at a staggering stream of active-discovery additions Android 16 affords you, so today, we’ll turn our focus to that other part of the equation — the elements of Android 16 that are just there and working quietly on your behalf, whether or not you notice, specifically in the areas of security and notifications.

By the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll be well aware of exactly what advantages Android 16 is adding into your life — even if you aren’t necessarily aware of which exact version of Android 16 you’re actually using at the moment.

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Part I: Android 16 security strengtheners

1. Smarter scam spotting

Our first Android 16 addition is one you’ll hopefully never see — but if the right sort of scenario arises, you’ll be very glad it’s available. With Android 16, Google’s added in extra protections around the ever-problematic universe of voice call scams.

Specifically, your phone will now prevent you from manually installing an app from an unknown source while any voice call is active — with the idea that a scammer might be trying to trick you into installing something that you shouldn’t (and also, y’know, that it’s probably pretty rare to actually need to install an app from a random non-Play-Store place while you’re actively in the midst of an ongoing voice call).

Similarly, Android 16 will block especially high-level system permissions from being enabled while calls are actively in progress — with a similar scam-stopping sentiment in mind.

Yes, please — and thank you.

2. An on-demand fingerprint check

Next, Android 16 introduces the option to check on your saved fingerprints after the fact and confirm which precise phalange of yours is registered and authorized to unlock your phone.

If you head into the Security section on any supported device and then make your way into the “Device unlock” area (or “Screen lock,” in Samsung vernacular) and tap “Fingerprints” from there, you should see a quietly added line labeled “Check enrolled fingerprints” (or “Check added fingerprints,” on a Samsung phone — since Samsung feels compelled to constantly change things for no apparent reason and with no meaningful effect other than lack of consistency and the consequential creation of confusion).

Android 16’s fingerprint options gain a potentially useful new on-demand check-up.JR Raphael, Foundry

Tap that, and you can then press any fingie you like onto your screen’s sensor to (a) confirm that it’s registered and (b) see precisely which saved slot it’s assigned to.

Just note that this capability seems to be present only on devices with in-screen fingerprint sensors, which means foldables like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold — where the sensor shifts over to the power button — don’t presently present it.

3. A more secure Secure Folder

Speaking of Samsung, the company’s Secure Folder Android addition — which lets you move “sensitive” apps into a special extra-protected and optionally out-of-sight area — gets a nice little upgrade as of Android 16.

On any Galaxy gizmo, you can now set the Secure Folder to automatically lock itself and require authentication for access anytime your screen turns off while you’re actively in the midst of using it — and you can ask it to hide any notifications from apps stored within it so no one sees any such alert inadvertently.

Samsung’s Secure Folder is even more protective as of the Android 16 update.JR Raphael, Foundry

Search your Samsung system settings for secure folder to find the new options (or activate your Secure Folder for the first time, if you haven’t already) — and if you’re using a Pixel or any other type of Android device, search your system settings instead for private space to reveal a similar set of options.

4. Automatically invisible alerts

While we’re on the subject of avoiding unwanted alerts, Android 16 now automatically hides the contents of notifications it sees as being especially sensitive from showing up on your lock screen — like, for instance, those that contain one-time use security codes within ’em. Thoughtful, no?

This should just happen on its own, without any specific sort of setting or opt-in required on your end. And that, if you ask me, makes an awful lot of sense.

5. Easier lock screen control

Also related, Samsung’s take on Android 16 adds in a simpler setup for stopping any and all sensitive stuff from showing up on your screen while your device is locked — regardless of how your phone interprets it.

It’s an option within the Notifications section of your system settings called, appropriately enough, “Hide content while locked.” Tapping it will show you a quick ‘n’ easy one-toggle switch for hiding all notifications from your lock screen without having to go through each individual app to set a specific preference.

Taking total control over your lock screen’s notification behavior is especially easy as of Android 16.JR Raphael, Foundry

In the standard (non-Samsung) Google version of Android, a similar sliver of sorcery exists in that same Notifications area under the “Notifications on lock screen” option. And, no matter what flavor of Android phone you’re using, you can always dig deeper and create app-by-app exceptions for whatever rule you establish as well.

Part II: Android 16 notification nuance

6. Automatic organization

Notification overload is all too common of a challenge, particularly for those of us who receive alerts from approximately 7,977 different calendars and messaging apps (hiya!). Android 16 aims to make any avalanche of alerts at least a little more manageable by automatically grouping multiple notifications from the same app into a single streamlined space in your notification panel — so you’ll see ’em all together and they take up far less room.

Notably, Android has actually offered the ability to do this for years now — but up until Android 16, it’s been up to each individual app developer to opt in and implement it. With Android 16, every single app will automatically have its notifications grouped for you, whether its developer took the time to support the system or not.

And let me just say, on behalf of all my fellow full-time notification jugglers: Hallelujah.

7. Simpler status updates

Last but not least, another long-standing Android option that’s getting a subtle but significant spruce-up in Android 16 is the persistent notification — when a specific activity within an app needs to keep notifying you over time so you can see the status of some manner of ongoing event.

Android 16’s new Live Updates system allows apps to tap into a special new setup for such moments that places a prominent indicator in your status bar and lets you easily see updates at a glance. So far, Maps and (soon) Google Wallet are among the early apps that actually take advantage of the opportunity — unlike the automatic organization thing from a moment ago, this one does still require developers to manually decide to participate — but with any luck, we’ll see more moving into the mix soon.

Hey, who knows? Maybe support from other Google apps will even show up alongside a future Android 16 update — even if you never actually notice its arrival.

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