Android 16 Looks To Bring A Major Quality-Of-Life Upgrade To Google Maps

Google is hard at work improving Android 16. With the initial release of the OS, Google introduced Live Updates, which was essentially Android's answer to the iPhone's Live Activities. This lets you see up-to-date information on things like food orders, live sports scores, and more all in persistent notifications that stay pinned to the top of the notification drawer until you don't need them anymore.

It's a handy way to keep up with important information, especially if you're jumping between apps frequently. Now, it look like Google is bringing support for the helpful feature to one of its most popular apps: Google Maps. Reports from Android Authority suggest that some users running the latest version of the Android 16 QPR2 beta have spotted Google Maps notifications now appearing as Live Updates in the notification bar, as well as on the lock screen of their device.

That report includes some screenshots of what the new Live Update notification looks like, and it remains just as understated as Google Maps notifications in the past. It might still see some changes before the final version of the feature rolls out, but it shouldn't take much getting used to for Android users.

Once released, this update to how Google Maps handles navigation notifications could be significant, because I know I've found myself accidentally swiping away the notification that the app throws into my drawer whenever I'm using it. If you've swiped away to another app, having access to this notification makes it much easier to jump back to Google Maps without having to open your recent apps page.

Of course, there's no telling when this feature will actually be available on more devices, as Google appears to be rolling it out slowly to those within the latest Android 16 beta. Once it does hit your device, it should make interacting with Google Maps while actively navigating somewhere much easier, especially if you need to swipe between apps while walking or taking the train.

This isn't the only app that Google has been updating, either. The company's Messages app — which has become the default messaging app on many Android devices -– just received one of iMessage's best features, allowing users to delete messages even after they've been sent.