You ask an AI agent to handle a task for you, close the app, and carry on with your day. But then you start wondering: Is it still working? Did it finish? Does it need something from me? Or did it get stuck somewhere along the way?
This is one of the problems Google is trying to solve with Android Halo, a new interface designed to show users what their AI agents are doing without forcing them to stop whatever else they are doing on their phones.
Google previewed Android Halo in May 2026 as part of its push to make Android more useful in an increasingly agentic AI era. Instead of keeping an agent’s activity hidden inside an app, Halo brings updates to the top of the phone screen, showing when an agent is working on a task, enters live mode, or sends a message.
This article explains what Android Halo is, how it works, and why giving users a window into their AI agents could become increasingly important.
What is Android Halo?
Android Halo is a new interface on Android that gives users an at-a-glance view of what their AI agents are doing.
Google describes it as a way to bring an agent’s status and progress to the top of the phone screen. Instead of opening the Gemini app or another app to check what an agent is doing, users can see updates while remaining on whatever screen they currently use.
Think of it as a small communication layer between you and your AI agent.