Android 16 may come with a new “Rich and Continuous Notifications” feature that allows developers to keep persistent notifications in the Android status bar, according to Android 15 beta code discovered by Android AuthorityMishaal Rahmanwhich frequently digs deeper into the code to discover upcoming features.
Right now, the code allows you to add a pill-shaped icon with custom text and background color to the Android status bar. Some mock notifications Rahman created show how they could be used for things like telling you when to expect your Uber to arrive. Android already has a feature like this since Android 12 that lets you know how long you've been on a phone call, Rahman notes.
It's similar to iOS' Live Activities feature, which displays things like stopwatches, sports scores, and delivery ETAs on users' lock screens and at the top of notifications. On iPhone 14 Pro and later, they appear as widgets that are at a glance in the Dynamic Island cutout while you do other things on your phone.
I would love to have something like this on my Pixel 6 phone. Live activities have been a great way to not forget about a parking meter I paid for through my city's parking app, or to quickly check when a food delivery will arrive. Having something similar on Android would be one less barrier to returning to the platform in the future.
