Google Keep, the popular free note-taking app, is being upgraded to a system app on Android 16 devices, according to Android Police. This move places Google Keep alongside other essential Android apps like Phone, Contacts, and the Google Play Store, which provide critical services for the operating system. The change is evident in the latest Android 16 beta, Android 16 Developer Preview 2, where Google Keep appears as a system app.
With this upgrade, users will no longer be able to uninstall Google Keep unless they have root access to their devices. This marks a shift from its previous status as a regular app that could be easily removed by users. As part of Android 16, Keep is now considered a core feature, further cementing its importance in the Android ecosystem.
This change follows Google’s integration of Keep with its Tasks feature in April, which was seen as a sign of the company’s increasing focus on improving the app. Previous updates had somewhat neglected Keep, but recent improvements seem to indicate a shift toward making it a more central part of the Android experience. The move to make it a system app is a further indication of this trend.
While Google has not provided an official explanation for this change, the decision suggests that the company may be planning to enhance Google Keep with more powerful features in Android 16. It’s possible that the app could be integrated more deeply with other core Android features, enhancing its functionality and usefulness for users across the operating system.
