Android 16 could get iPhone-like ‘ongoing’ notifications

Android 16 may come with a new “Rich Ongoing Notifications” feature that lets developers keep persistent notifications in the Android status bar, according to Android 15 beta code discovered by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, who frequently dives into code to surface coming features.

Right now, the code enables adding a pill-shaped icon with custom text and background color to the Android status bar. Some mock notifications Rahman created show how it could be used for things like telling you when to expect your Uber to arrive. Android has already had a feature like this since Android 12 that lets you know how long you’ve been on a phone call, Rahman notes.

It looks similar to the iOS Live Activities feature, which surfaces things like timers, sports scores, and delivery ETAs on users’ lock screens and at the top of notifications. On the iPhone 14 Pro and up, they appear as widgets that are a glance away in the Dynamic Island cutout while you’re doing other things on your phone.

I’d love to have something just like that on my Pixel 6 phone. Live Activities have been a great way to keep from forgetting about a parking meter I paid for via my city’s parking app, or quickly checking on when a food delivery will arrive. Having something similar on Android would be one less barrier to me switching back to the platform in the future.