10 best features of Android 16 Beta 3

The Android 16 version will have a semi-annual release cadence. The first release will happen in the first half of 2025, between April and May, while the second release will be during the latter half of the year. To prepare for the first stable version of Android 16, Google has steadily pushed multiple previews and beta builds over the last few months. Now, the tech giant has released the third beta build, which brought some new features and changes.

In this article, we will look at all the new features and changes in Android 16 Beta 3.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinions.

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What are the best features and changes in Android 16 Beta 3?

Android's better anti-theft feature (Image via Google)

1) The battery health feature is finally here

The battery health feature has been in the works for a while, but it wasn't fully ready and was removed before stable versions were released. However, it is present in Android 16 Beta 3 and should go live in the stable version of the first Android 16 release. For those unaware, this feature allows you to measure the health of your phone's battery.

When you first buy a phone, it has 100% health, but after a certain number of charge cycles, the maximum chargeable battery capacity decreases. This will be shown in the form of a lower battery health percentage.

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2) A "Close Button" for apps was added in the Recents Menu

Closing an app from the Recents menu requires one to swipe up on the app they want to close. However, having a physical close button can be helpful, especially for those with certain disabilities. A "Close Button" was added for the apps in the Recents menu, but it is not as straightforward as expected.

You have to tap and hold on to an app in the Recents menu screen to bring up the context menu. The close button is added there.

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3) Tweaked "Limit to 80%" setting

The "Limit to 80%" charging feature was first introduced in the Android 15 QPR1 update, but some users were confused about its usage. Google has changed that description to tell users precisely that charging will be limited to 80% for most days and will only fully charge once every one or two weeks. However, the functionality remains the same.

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4) Android 16 Easter Egg gets live updates

Android 16's live update feature (Image via Google)

The Android 16 Easter egg is mostly the same as Android 15 but with a few changes. In the updated Easter egg of the third beta, the spaceship gets an autopilot, which allows the ship to find planets automatically, and you will also get live updates in the notification center as it progresses in the background.

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5) The display extra dim feature has been removed

There was an "Extra dim" feature in the display settings of previous Android 16 Beta builds. This allowed the screen to reach the lowest brightness levels. However, Google removed this feature in the third beta release. This feature is probably not fully ready and may not make it to the final release.

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6) The search bar in the Settings app is tweaked

The search bar in the Settings app has received tweaks to show better search results. The background of the settings bar is also darker, which makes it easier to spot the search bar in the settings.

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7) The pre-homescreen after boot gets the Material You theme

When you unlock the lockscreen after the first boot, you are usually greeted with a pre-homescreen loading menu. This loading screen has received the Material You theme to match the vibe of the rest of the user interface.

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8) The Settings app's background for Dark Mode has been fixed

The Settings app background in Dark Mode was unusually dark in the previous beta builds and didn't match the rest of the user interface and system app backgrounds. It is tweaked to make the Settings app look more unified with the rest of the system.

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9) Outline text feature for people with visual disabilities

Outline text feature in Android 16 (Image via Google)

People with visual disabilities often find it quite challenging to read texts on their phones. If you enable this feature, it will highlight any and all texts on the screen to improve readability.

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10) Broadcast audio support has been added for Bluetooth devices

Broadcast audio systems in Airports, railway stations, classrooms, and more places can now directly stream announcements to you via Bluetooth headphones. Any broadcasting system with Auracast broadcast audio is compatible with this feature. Your headphones must also support Bluetooth LE technology to receive the broadcast messages.

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This concludes our list of all the new features introduced in Android 16 Beta 3. As we are quite close to the release of the first Android 16 stable version, it would be wise not to expect any new features.