Android 16 may be able to do what Apple AI couldn't with notification summaries

What you need to know

• Several strings of codes showcase that notification summaries could be making their way to us with Android 16.
• This will be showcased as a new page under the notifications option in Settings.
• The new OS could have the capability to summarize only conversations, not notifications from other non-messaging apps.

Android 16 Beta 3 just rolled out yesterday, while not many features were announced with this Beta, Google says Android 16 has reached "Platform stability."

Additionally, it seems like another important feature could be in the works. A deep dive into the third beta revealed several strings of code that showcased "summarized notifications," a feature that Google is working on bringing with Android 16 (as first spotted by Android Authority).

This feature will "automatically summarize conversation on apps," the publication added. Ring a bell? Apple has a similar feature that debuted with Apple Intelligence, but it didn't go the way it was supposed to. It provided "Bizarre summaries," leading Apple to pause this feature until further notice.

The strings within the third Beta showcased a new page for notification summaries. This will be housed in the existing notification history with the notification bundle options under Settings > Notifications, the publication further added. Within the page, you can toggle to enable the feature, labeled “use notification summaries.” The subsequent code string also mentions Conversation summaries, which isn't a new concept for Android users.

What's more interesting is that you can also pick which apps will use this feature and probably exclude the ones that you don't need it for. However, this could also mean that the new OS will have the capability to summarize only conversations, not notifications from other non-messaging apps." We've seen something similar with Android Auto, which can use artificial intelligence to create summaries for longer messages.

The publication further notes that these summaries could use the Android System Intelligence app, rather than Gemini to help with this feature. That said, it seems like an exciting feature to look forward to, as the public launch for Android 16 is closing in.