Google has released the second beta version of its upcoming Android 16 operating system, just three weeks after the first beta test. The new release brings several notable changes to the table, primarily centered around camera functionality, health data controls, and streaming-video app performance.
For photography enthusiasts, the updated auto-exposure modes offer more control over light sensitivity and exposure time, with advanced features such as hybrid modes that compensate for adjustments made by the user. Color temperature, tint, and shading controls have also been enhanced, along with support for motion photos and high-dynamic range capabilities.
The health feature update provides users with more granular app-permission frameworks, allowing apps to request specific data metrics like skin temperature and heart rate while obtaining explicit consent. This development builds upon Google’s recent focus on health-related features in Android releases.
Streaming-video apps now have a new framework to optimize video output for TVs, ensuring the best possible audio and video settings for current content. The regional category in the Settings app has also received an update, allowing users to switch between English and metric measurement systems.
Other changes include improvements to font support, live wallpaper generation from user data, system oversight of jobs requested by apps, and a compatibility mode for older memory-handling modes. Android 16 is still on track for a Q2 release and will be showcased at Google I/O in May.
Source: https://uk.pcmag.com/android/156691/second-android-16-beta-launches-with-photography-health-data-updates