Android 16 could reportedly give third-party app developers access to Rich Ongoing Notifications. According to the report, evidence of the feature being underdeveloped was seen in the latest Android 15 beta, leading to speculation that it could be introduced in the next iteration of the operating system (OS). This feature is visually similar to the information that iPhone users can see in Dynamic Island. Notably, this feature also allows developers to add custom text, background colors, and icons to status bar items.

Enhanced current Android 16 notifications for apps

According to a report by Android Authority, evidence of this feature has been spotted in the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 update. However, Rich Ongoing Notifications are not visible and beta testers with access to the OS build will not be able to test it. App developers will need to integrate this feature into their apps before end users can see them on their devices.

Rich Ongoing Notifications is a dynamic presentation of information in an application that is displayed in the status bar and accessible through notifications. They also appear on the lock screen to easily notify users of the current task. For example, the call information chip that was introduced in Android 12 shows the duration of a call without going to the dialer screen or the notification panel. This feature was also seen in the screen recording app on Android 15.

This feature is currently not available to third-party app developers, and most of Google’s own apps don’t use this feature either. However, Apple has integrated this feature by introducing Dynamic Island in the iPhone 14 Pro models. At this designated location, users can check how long an Uber will take to complete a trip or how much food will arrive on Zomato and Swiggy. It also shows live game score.

Enhanced current notifications as seen in the latest Android 15 beta
Photo: Android Authority

These are just a few ways to take advantage of the opportunities. While testing the feature, tipster Mishaal Rahman was able to create several mockups of the status bar chip. Based on the provided screenshots, in one case, the whistleblower created a pickup notification for Uber, and in another, he created a boarding timer for the United Airlines app. The mockup also showed Rich Ongoing Notifications, which are used to show the time left until an alarm goes off.

Notably, Gadgets 360 staff was unable to verify the existence of this feature. Although the report claims that such a feature is in the works until an official announcement is made, it is impossible to say for sure whether Google will introduce the feature with Android 16 or not.