Google Maps Live Updates feature debuts in Android 16 Beta 2.1

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Google Maps Live Updates feature debuts in Android 16 Beta 2.1

Android 16 is going to have a feature called Live Updates which will allow notifications to appear on the Lock Screen, status bar, always-on display, and the notifications panel. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill notifications. These are notifications that update users on the progress of a certain task. Last week Google released Android 16 Beta 2.1, an incremental update that normally wouldn’t be expected to bring anything new to the table.

However, Android 16 Beta 2.1 does include the Live Updates feature, and apparently Google Maps will be the first app to support Live Updates. The Google Maps Live Updates status bar chip is green which immediately brands the chip as belonging to Google Maps. Besides having the Google Maps green background, the chips contain the Google Maps icon so there will be no confusion about which app this Live Update data is coming from.

Google Maps Live Updates chips in Android 16 shows navigation data in real-time in the status bar. | Image credit-Mishaal Rahman, Android Authority

The information that you’ll be able to see with this chip includes the time until the next turn, the ETA, and possibly other turn-by-turn data. Since these chips are in the status bar, they aren’t big enough to contain that much information. Tapping on one of the chips will turn it into a panel allowing you to view the same information without having to swipe down from the top of the screen.

The information on the panel shows the distance you need to travel until you arrive at your destination, how far away your destination is, the estimated time of arrival until the next turn, and the time until the next turn. The feature is available on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 16 Beta 2.1. Besides working with Google Maps, Live Updates will show you the progress of food deliveries coming from certain delivery platforms, how far away from you the ride-share you ordered from Uber or Lyft is, the progress of a countdown timer, and updated scores from certain sporting events.

Keep in mind that everything we see is limited right now since we are in Android 16 Beta 2.1 and the final, stable version of Android 16 isn’t expected until June.

If Live Updates seems familiar to you iOS users, it’s because it is similar to the Live Activities feature that shows many of the same progress-based updates in real-time on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screens of iPhone users.

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