Notifications keep us connected and informed, but if you let them pile up, they can quickly become overwhelming. Google seems to recognize this struggle and may be working on a solution with a new feature called “Bundled Notifications,” possibly coming in Android 16.

What Are Bundled Notifications?

This feature, first discovered by Mishaal Rahman in the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2 last month, aims to organize notifications into categories—think Gmail’s email sorting system but for your phone notifications. Right now, Android groups notifications by app, which helps a little but doesn’t really tackle notification overload.

Bundled notifications aim to fix that by categorizing alerts into themes like Promotions, News, Social, and Recommendations—at least, that’s what the screenshot shared by Rahman suggests. It’s similar to how Gmail automatically sorts emails into tabs like Primary, Social, and Promotions, making it easier to focus on what matters.

The feature also silences and organizes notifications into these categories for a less distracting experience. However, it seems like this grouping could override an app’s specific notification settings, which might be an annoyance for anyone who’s used to fine-tuning their alerts.

Still a Work in Progress

It’s important to note that this feature is far from ready. It’s buried in the settings, disabled by default, and hasn’t been fully implemented yet. Google is likely still testing and refining how it works. It’s unclear when—or if—this feature will get the green light for wider beta testing, so we don’t know when users will get hands-on experience.

For now, all we have is a screenshot and a basic idea of how the feature might work. While it’s exciting to imagine how it could make notifications more manageable, it’s equally clear that the feature will likely undergo significant changes before it’s rolled out.

The Need for Deeper Customization

One of the biggest challenges for bundled notifications will be balancing simplicity with flexibility. For example, I use WhatsApp for work discussions but also personal chats. Similarly, Slack is my go-to for work, but some channels are more important than others. If all of these notifications are grouped into a generic “Work” category, it could make it harder to prioritize what’s important.

Ideally, Google should allow deeper customization so users can define their categories or adjust how notifications are sorted. For instance, I’d love to have work-related WhatsApp and Slack notifications in a “Work” category while personal chats and social updates go elsewhere. Without this level of control, the feature could cause as much confusion as it resolves.

My Thoughts

Google’s bundled notifications feature has the potential to make managing alerts far less stressful. But, like many good ideas, execution is everything. If done well, it could bring much-needed order to our notification chaos. However, if it’s too rigid or doesn’t account for real-world use cases—like the fact that some apps serve multiple purposes—it might create as many problems as it solves.

For now, it’s exciting to see Google experimenting with ways to improve the Android experience. While this feature may or may not debut in Android 16, I’m hopeful that, with enough flexibility, it could become one of the most useful additions to Android yet. Let’s just hope Google gets it right.