Google's Android 16 in now officially in preview

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.

Key Takeaways

Android 16 Developer Preview 1 has just been released by Google.
Google appears to be pushing for faster innovation in Android, with more frequent software updates.
Some phone makers, like Samsung, are still in the process of deploying Android 15 onto handsets.

It appears that Google is taking a full-steam ahead approach to Android software development in a way we’ve never seen before. Out of the blue, the search giant has just dropped the first Developer Preview build for its upcoming Android 16 release.

“Android will have more frequent releases going forward — with two SDK releases in 2025, as part of our effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices,” says Google in a blog post.

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Android 16 is here in an official capacity

This first version of the software update is primarily meant for developers

The major points of interest in this first Android 16 developer preview build appear to be platform-related as opposed to user-facing. A new embedded photo picker with updated APIs, bolstered health record APIs, and updates to Android’s under-the-hood Privacy Sandbox are highlighted by the company.

If previous Android Developer Previews are anything to off of, we can certainly expect more exciting features and interface improvements to land in future builds. This initial preview is mostly here for developers, in order for them to stay up-to-date and to leverage the latest platform technologies for their apps.

According to Google, we can expect the finalized version of Android 16 to reach stability in Q2 of 2025. This would make for a release that’s a full quarter earlier than Google’s standard update cadence that we’ve grown accustomed to in recent years.

According to Google, we can expect the finalized version of Android 16 to reach stability in Q2 of 2025.

“We’re planning the major release a quarter earlier (Q2 rather than Q3 in prior years) to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner,” says Google.

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Android 15 is still being deployed by OEMs

Android development is accelerating, but not all phone makers are keeping up the brisk pace

Google

Android 15 is still hot off the presses, having only just landed on Google Pixel phones back in late October. Many handset manufacturers — including Samsung — have yet to even roll out their Android 15 updates to eligible devices.

The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) version of Android 15 was actually finalized at the beginning of September, but it’s taken quite some time for the update to land on devices in the real-world. Samsung is currently in the beta testing stage for its One UI 7 software skin overlay. We’re also still waiting for equivalent updates from Motorola, Nothing, and others. OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, meanwhile, landed on devices on October 24.

The desire to better align major platform releases with hardware product launches is a rather practical one.

Google / Pocket-lint

While it might seem counter-intuitive for Google to be pressing forward with Android 16 this early, there’s certainly a method to the company’s madness. The desire to better align major platform releases with hardware product launches is a rather practical one. Android development appears to be intensifying in the wake of Google’s (alleged) newfound laptop ambitions, and so streamlining efforts on the software side is likely to be a welcome one.