Google Testing AI-Powered Notification Organiser and Summary in Android 16

Google is working on two new AI-powered features to help users manage their notification clutter better. The tech giant is preparing to introduce Notification Summaries and Notification Organiser in Android 16 QPR1.

Folks over at Android Authority spotted two new animations of the features in the Android Canary build. Talking about Notification Summaries, it uses on-device AI to summarise incoming messages into a short overview of sorts automatically. This works with apps like WhatsApp, Telegram or other chat-based platforms.

When enabled, the Android 16 AI-powered feature will generate a three-line italicised summary beneath a collapsed notification. This summary will offer a snapshot of the conversation without requiring the user to open the full message thread.

Android 16 notification summaries animation — Image Credit: Android Authority

Now, this summary is said to appear only if the notification has been idle for about three minutes and contains between 25 and 200 words. Additionally, Google is also reportedly capping the feature to a maximum of 50 summaries a day.

In addition, to maintain transparency, the summaries are labelled with the disclaimer that they "may contain errors." It appears that Google has learned from others' mistakes by acknowledging the limitations of generative AI.

The AI Notification Summaries will be powered by Gemini Nano, which suggests that it may be exclusive to Pixel phones or select high-end Android devices at launch. Users will have control over the feature and can disable it at any time or manage it on a per-app basis by heading over to Settings -> Notifications -> Notification Summaries.

On the other hand, Notification Organiser is designed to automatically group notifications on the basis of category, using AI. According to the publication, Android 16 will bundle notifications under labels like "Promotions", "News", "Social" and "Suggested". This will make it easier for users to prioritise a category and its updates this way.

Android 16 notification organiser animation — Image Credit: Android Authority

Moreover, just like Notification Summaries, this organiser includes the relevant disclaimer. Besides, Google will also reportedly let users override the categorisation or disable it for individual apps.

Both the AI-powered notification features are expected to roll out as part of Android 16 QPR1 later this year. Whether they will reach non-Pixel devices and how effective they will be in practice is yet to be seen.