Table of Contents

• Exploring Material 3’s Expressive Design
• Wear OS 6 Features
• Insights on Google Gemini
• Introducing Find Hub
• Enhanced Safety and Security

The team evaluated everything from eye movement on screens to the quickness of locating controls, resulting in a system that’s more user-friendly and enjoyable than ever. Enhancements include revamped button groups, loading indicators, toolbars, and split buttons. The animations now exhibit a playful, natural bounce, while fonts have been made more legible. Importantly, the design remains minimalistic, ensuring it’s intuitive and accessible.

The operating system’s improvements can be seen as you interact with notifications and interfaces. For instance, the Send button in Gmail has been enlarged and repositioned above the keyboard, making it significantly easier to find—up to four times quicker by Google’s estimates. The updates aim to make Material 3 Expressive beneficial for users of all ages.

Google encourages developers to integrate Material 3 Expressive elements into their apps. They recommend focusing on functionality while being deliberate with design choices and adhering to new accessibility guidelines. Developers now have access to a range of new tools, decorative shapes, animations, fonts, and color schemes.

Wear OS 6

Material 3 Expressive is also making its way to Wear OS 6. This new version of the smartwatch operating system is designed to utilize a circular display effectively, ensuring that the user interface adjusts to make full use of the screen real estate. It will feature similar enhancements to those in Android 16, including springy buttons, thoughtful color schemes, and clearer icons for better visibility.

Significantly, Wear OS 6 boasts a refreshed layout, more user-friendly buttons, and a design that emphasizes user focus, similar to the smartphone experience. Google claims that optimization will improve battery life by 10% on both new and updated smartwatches.

Google describes this evolution in Android 16 and Wear OS 6 as "a fundamental shift in how your devices operate," emphasizing that it’s more than just an aesthetic update.

More Insights on Google Gemini

Gemini, Google’s AI, is set to play a crucial role in Android 16. It will extend its functionality beyond mobile devices to Wear OS, replacing Google Assistant. With Gemini, users can converse naturally, accessing a wide array of apps to extract needed information effortlessly.

Gemini will also enhance features in Android Auto and Google Built-in for vehicles, making it the safest option for staying connected while driving. It facilitates hands-free communication through conversational interactions and can summarize messages, find nearby charging or gas stations, and even launch playlists—all designed with brevity for the driving context.

Gemini will also be integrated within Android XR, a collaborative software platform being developed with Samsung, and will appear on Google TV.

Introducing Find Hub

Find My Device is evolving into Find Hub, expanding its functionality to not only track belongings but also help users stay connected with friends and family. Find Hub will support location tracking for items from various brands, such as Peak and July, and will also implement ultra-wideband tracking for tags like the Moto Tag.

Additionally, Google has established partnerships with airlines like British Airways and Cathay Pacific to enable Bluetooth data sharing for lost luggage. Later this year, users will even be able to connect with others via satellite, even without cellular service.

Enhanced Safety and Security

Android 16 emphasizes safety and security, offering a range of new tools and features. For example, during calls with unknown numbers, users will receive real-time alerts for potential scams, including cryptocurrency and gift card scams. This protective measure extends to messaging as well.

The update introduces new accessibility permissions for apps sourced outside the Play Store, fortified screen sharing safeguards, and in-call protections for banking applications. Advanced Protection, previously seen in beta, will be available for those prioritizing their security, allowing users to secure their devices against potential threats. Later this year, Google plans to enhance factory reset options, granting greater control over reset capabilities.

A new feature, Key Verifier, utilizes QR codes to verify end-to-end encryption and will notify users if discrepancies occur, like in a SIM-swap situation.

Google announced these developments during a special broadcast in anticipation of its annual developer conference, Google I/O, held on May 20.