Android 16 may finally bring the notification cooldown feature

Android 15 stable arrived weeks ago to eligible Google Pixels, and even third-party Android brands have already started rolling it out to some of their devices. While feedback around the update has been generally positive, there are some expected features, like “Notification cooldown” that were not available. However, a new finding suggests that “Notification cooldown” will arrive to everyone in Android 16.

The long-awaited notification cooldown feature could arrive with Android 16

Initially, it was thought that the Notification cooldown option would arrive in Android 15 since Google included it in Android 15 DP1 (Developer Preview 1). However, it disappeared when the software reached the public beta stage. That made many fear that Google left the feature behind. Fortunately, it seems that the company simply decided to delay it until the next major Android release.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority in the recently released Android 16 DP1, the notification cooldown option is available on Pixel phones under Settings > Notifications. It looks like Google has tweaked the feature’s behavior a bit. In Android 15 DP1, you could enable it for all notifications or just for notifications from chat/messaging apps. Now, you can just enable or disable the feature; nothing more.

Considering that Android 16 DP1 is a fairly early version of the software, Google will likely make further adjustments to the “Notification cooldown” option before a mass rollout.

A feature to reduce stress

Notification cooldown is an especially useful feature if you receive a lot of notifications in a row from the same app. The option will gradually reduce the volume of notifications that arrive “all at once” from the same source. Plus, it will reduce alerts from your phone for “up to two minutes,” except for notifications that come from calls, priority conversations, and, of course, alarms.

This feature has the potential to positively impact your overall well-being. There are people who find the constant receipt of notifications causes some anxiety if they don’t check their phone. Having the device ring and vibrate uncontrollably while all the alerts come in at once doesn’t help either. Therefore, implementing the “notification cooldown” feature would truly qualify as a Quality of Life (QoL) enhancement.

As for Android 16, Google is reportedly working on some important changes. For example, the company may split the notifications and quick access panel into two panels, allowing users to access them with a single swipe gesture. Lastly, Google will launch Android 16 on June 3, 2025, months earlier than usual.