Only a few weeks after the release of Android 15 for Pixel phones, Google has already made the first developer preview of Android 16 available.
Developers can test version 16 now, although many owners of flagship phones from independent Android manufacturers are still awaiting the update to version 15.
According to developer Matthew McCullough’s blog post available to BrandSpur digital news platform, Google hopes to signal a quicker upgrade cycle with the early release of the latest Android developer preview. It reads: “This is the beginning of Android with more frequent API releases as part of our efforts to encourage faster innovation in apps and devices.”
Compared to prior years, Google is releasing the latest Android developer preview several months sooner. This time, the end-user version will also be made available earlier: Google claims that Android 16 will be available by the end of June at the latest, or as early as the second quarter of 2025.
In the past, the fall was when significant Android versions were frequently released. Google plans to add further features after the summer 2025 release before releasing a minor version upgrade at the end of the year, which is also new. The upcoming years will see the continuation of the new release cycle.
The Pixel’s release cycle
According to McCullough, the timing should be more appropriate for the introduction of new devices: Android versions of the Pixel smartphones were nearly a year old when they were first introduced to the market because new models aren’t released until late summer.
Google phones can gain points with new Android versions at launch because the new version was released earlier. The announcements are mostly directed at developers, and the initial developer preview of Android 16 does not yet include many new features.
Additionally, end users may see: With Android 16, app developers will be able to incorporate the Photo Picker—which lets you choose which photos to share—straight into their apps. A pop-up used to always open at the system level.
