Android 16 may introduce dynamic island-like notifications to iPhone

Android 16 could reportedly give third-party app developers access to Rich Ongoing Notifications. According to a report, evidence of the underdevelopment feature was spotted 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 iPhone users can see in Dynamic Island. Notably, the feature would allow developers to add custom text, background colors, and icons to the status bar chips as well.

Android 16’s rich, continuous app notifications

According to an Android authority reportproof of the feature was spotted in the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 update. However, the Rich Ongoing Notifications are not visible and beta testers who have access to the OS build cannot test them. App developers will need to integrate the capability within the apps before end users can see it on their devices.

Rich Continuous Notifications are a dynamic display of in-app information that appears on the status bar and can be accessed through the notifications. These also appear on the lock screen to easily notify users of an ongoing task. For example, the call information chip introduced with Android 12 shows the duration of the call without going to the calling screen or opening the notification bar. The feature was also seen in the screen recording app on Android 15.

This feature isn’t currently available to third-party app developers, and most Google’s own apps don’t take advantage of this capability either. However, Apple has integrated the feature with the introduction of Dynamic Island in iPhone 14 Pro models. In that designated space, users can check how long it takes for Uber to complete the trip, or how long it takes for the food to arrive on Zomato and Swiggy. It also shows the score for a live match.

Rich continuous notifications as seen in the latest Android 15 beta
Photo credit: Android Authority

These are just a few ways to use the ability. While testing the feature, tipster Mishaal Rahman was able to generate several mockups of the status bar chip. Based on the shared screenshots, the tipster in one case created a pickup notification for Uber, while in another case he created a boarding timer for the United Airlines app. A mockup also showed that the Rich Ongoing Notifications were used to indicate how long until the alarm goes off.

Notably, Gadgets 360 employees were unable to verify the existence of this feature. While the report claims that such a feature is in development, it cannot be said for sure whether Google will roll out the feature with Android 16 or not until an official announcement is made.