- Google is experimenting with transparent notifications in Android 16.
- Notifications will appear transparent only when shown on the lock screen and on top of other apps.
- It’s unlikely that Google will move forward with this change given the reduction in readability, but it’s an interesting experiment regardless.
Many people personalize their Android phones with wallpapers that hold some personal meaning to them or they simply enjoy looking at. The lock screen in particular is a great canvas for personalized wallpapers as it’s usually less cluttered than the home screen, but a couple of notifications is all it takes to obscure the wallpaper. Google is now experimenting with making notifications more transparent in Android 16 in an effort to declutter the lock screen.
Following the release of Android 16 Beta 3 the other day, I discovered work on a new transparent notifications feature. After activating the feature, I noticed that notifications were now semi-transparent on some surfaces. Specifically, heads-up notifications and notifications shown on the lock screen were now semi-transparent, whereas notifications in the notifications panel were unchanged.