Apple, Google, and Samsung regularly get UI design inspirations from each other. After Samsung introduced punch-hole notifications (notification animation originating from the front camera) with the Galaxy S10, Apple brought Dynamic Island notifications with the iPhone 14. Now, Google could be trying to bring Dynamic Island-like notifications with Android 16.Summarize in one-click with Galaxy AI
Android 16 could get Apple’s Dynamic Island-like ongoing notifications
Google constantly tries to improve notifications with each new version of Android. Over the past few years, it has made notifications simpler, less distracting, and more actionable. With Android 16, Google could introduce Rich Ongoing Notifications similar to Apple’s Dynamic Island notifications. According to Android Authority’s findings, Google is testing a new API called Rich Ongoing Notifications with Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3. App developers could use it to display pill-shaped chips in the status bar. These chips can display the app icon, a custom background, and text/time.
While the new API isn’t live for third-party apps yet, Mishaal Rahman managed to create some mockups for Rich Ongoing Notifications using the command line interface. As you can see in the screenshots above, a cab-hailing app can display how much time it will take for your cab to arrive, while an airline app can display how much time is left before the boarding starts.
Similarly, the Clock app can display an active timer or time remaining for an upcoming alarm. Samsung has already implemented something similar for notifications for ongoing activities in One UI 7.0. According to previous reports, One UI 7.0 will display pill-shaped persistent rich notifications for ongoing activities in the status bar. For example, an ongoing call or an active timer may be displayed in the status bar on devices running One UI 7.0.
If Google brings Rich Ongoing Notifications to Android 16 and opens it up to third-party apps, it would be a great feature addition to the Android ecosystem. Several Android users have been asking for Dynamic Island-styled notifications and related animations since the launch of the iPhone 14, and they could get their wishes granted next year.
