3 Fresh Android 16 Capabilities to Discover with Android Canary


Android 16 has rolled out, bringing a host of thrilling new functionalities to explore, with additional features on the way. You can discover some of these functions now via Android Canary, Google’s innovative platform for testing future Android features. As reported by 9to5Google, the inaugural Android Canary update is live, introducing a few minor capabilities. While they may not be revolutionary, they are definitely worth a look. Here are three functionalities to experiment with.

Before you move forward, a word of caution: Installing beta Android builds on your personal device can carry risks. Proceed at your own discretion.

1. Conceal the AI button: The recent Android Canary update enables you to hide the AI button from the Pixel search bar located on your home screen. Normally, the search bar includes buttons for voice and photo search. Now, there’s an additional button for AI mode, but a new switch in the settings allows you to turn it off to prevent accidental activation.

2. Improved HDR: A new “Enhanced HDR Brightness” toggle in the settings menu is designed to enhance image quality for HDR-supported content. As suggested by its name, HDR content should look brighter with this feature. Although HDR can sometimes produce darker images, this setting might enhance brightness if it works as expected.

3. A new, dedicated parental controls menu: The settings menu now includes a distinct “Parental Controls” section, which was previously part of the “Digital Wellbeing” menu. While there are no new parental control options available yet, the separation into its own menu for parental controls is a beneficial organizational improvement.