Sony Xperia 1 VII gets huge Android 16 software update
The Sony Xperia 1 VII is finally available for purchase again after a mainboard issue caused a sales stop. Now, Sony has released the first major Android update for the flagship smartphone. The Xperia 1 VII came with Android 15 out of the box, and Sony guarantees updates until Android 19.
The Xperia 1 VII update to version 71.1.A.2.68 is a 1.1 GB download and upgrades the phone to Android 16. However, the update is not nearly as extensive as it would be on Google Pixel, as Sony has only made marginal changes to the user interface and does not adopt Google's new "Material 3 Expressive" design. Reddit users have already expressed their disappointment, although Sony has at least revised the system settings.
The Android 16 update also includes a number of security improvements. Google's Advanced Protection is intended to protect users from malware and various attacks, provided the feature is manually activated in the system settings. When this feature is active, apps and websites that Google has not classified as safe are blocked, while scam calls are supposed to be identified and blocked in many cases.
Sony does not yet support Live Updates, which are a new kind of push notifications that can be constantly updated in order to show the remaining time until a food delivery arrives, for instance. However, notifications on Android 16 are intended to be grouped more intelligently, and support for hearing aids is improved as well. Last but not least, Android 16 can take and share screenshots as HDR images.
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