Launch: Google publishes the first developer preview of Android 16

Google has already released the first developer preview of Android 16 – just weeks after the release of Android 15 on Pixel phones. While many users of flagship phones from independent Android manufacturers are still waiting for the update to version 15, developers can already try out version 16.

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With the early release of the new Android Developer Preview, Google wants to start a faster update cycle, developer Matthew McCullough explains in a blog post“This is the beginning of Android with more frequent API releases as part of our efforts to drive faster innovation in apps and devices.”

Google is releasing new Android developer previews several months earlier than in previous years. The version for end consumers should also arrive earlier this time: According to Google, Android 16 will be released in the second quarter of 2025, that is, by the end of June. Until now, major Android versions have been coming out regularly in the fall. After a release in the summer of 2025, Google wants to add more functions before a smaller version update arrives at the end of the year – this is also new. The new release rhythm is to be maintained in the following years as well.

Release cycle fits into pixels

The timing should better match the release of new devices, McCullough writes: Because new Pixel smartphones appear in late summer, they first came to market with Android versions that were about a year old at the time. Google cell phones can earn points with new Android versions at the time of launch, due to the earlier release of the new Android version.

While there may not be many new features to be found in the first developer preview for Android 16, the announcements are primarily for developers; What end users can also see: With Android 16, app developers can integrate the photo picker, which allows selecting photos to share directly in their app. Until now, a pop-up always opened at the system level.

(There)