Notification overload to meet match on Android 16

• Android 16 will introduce Notification wait time, which will gradually reduce the alert volume caused by repeated app pings.

• It will also hide very old notifications, introduce Rich Ongoing Notifications, and use compact alert messages.

• These features have been in and out of beta before and may be available for Pixel devices in the December Feature Pack.

First Android 16 developer preview Various facts will emerge in the coming days, and eagle-eyed researchers have already spotted a useful change planned for the December Feature Sale, which is currently limited to Pixel devices. The 2026 version of the ubiquitous operating system can, by default, gradually lower the alert volume when repeated pings are received from an application; this feature is called Notification cooldown (via Mishaal Rahmann) Android Authority).

Keeping annoying pings to a minimum

And other potential future improvements to quality of life

Nine months after the release of its Android 15 equivalent, Android 16 DP1 was released today in a move that many did not expect. Early developer previews don’t usually leak important and highly desired features, but this preview has been a long time coming. Android expert Mishaal Rahmann noticed a new toggle in the Notifications settings menu called Notification wait time; This gradually reduces the alert volume when an individual app repeatedly sends notifications.

If you are getting dj vu it is because We also reported the same feature nine months ago when Android 15 DP1 hit the scene. But this time Inclusion in Android QPR1 beta It heralds that this feature (set as the December Feature Sale for Pixel phones) will be available to all Android manufacturers starting in Q2 2025. Unfortunately, there’s currently no mitigation for ongoing vibrations, and the handy “Vibrate when unlocked” feature isn’t available. This feature has yet to reappear after disappearing from the Android 15 QPR1 beta.

However, Notification wait time is just one of the potential quality of life updates in Android’s notification pipeline. If you’ve completed your daily drive with a secondary Android device, you’ve likely unlocked the device at some point with a series of notifications you’ve seen before. Android 16 will combat this issue at least a little by blocking notifications older than two weeks, so you won’t get alerts for a month when you switch to a tablet or second phone.

Google is also continuing testing for improved Rich Persistent Notifications, or persistent, informative status bar notifications about the most critical active apps. These may include, for example, directions or upcoming calendar events. While some may see this as a plagiarism from Apple’s Dynamic Island app, Android show ongoing call duration In the status bar since Android 12, this is a logical improvement in a way.

Rahmann’s fixes also revealed that Android 16 uses compact alert messages that skip non-critical information like user profile pictures when an app sends a notification while you’re actively watching something. Cutting out an entire line of text means you’ll be less distracted when you’re engrossed in the content. This news appeared months agoWith questions about whether it will drop to Pixel Feature Drop or wait until the next full release. At least now we know the odds of it being ready for prime time are incredible. Android 16 launch June 3, 2025.