Android 16 Is Already Here! Here’s When You Will Get With The 2025 Update – News18

Last Updated:November 22, 2024, 11:00 IST

Android 16 is going to release a lot earlier than the previous versions, allowing Google to ship new devices with it.

While Samsung and other brands still keep working on their Android 15 updates, Google is already going one step ahead with an early release of Android 16. Yes, we’re still in 2024, and Google is already ready with the Android 16 developer preview, which means the new version could be rolled out even before some phones get their Android 15 update next year.

Google has been rumoured to be making broad changes to the Android roll out cycle for 2025 and the official note from the company confirms those reports.

Android 16 Developer Preview: Early Update For Users Too?

The new Android developer preview version generally comes out around the February-March period, but this new timeline is refreshing. The new cycle also means that Google is going to bring the first Android 16 beta version much earlier than ever.

That’s not all, the Android 16 full update could roll out as early as June 2025, which gives the company plenty of time to work on its next Pixel flagships and get them with the new version out of the box. Google has also confirmed the reason for these changes, which allows the brand to align with the schedule of device launches. So, we fully expect the Pixel 10 series to come with Android 16 version from day one.

The Android 16 developer preview is not available as an over-the-air (OTA) update, so you will need to flash the images to get the new version. We highly advise you from doing that on a primary device and wait for the public beta to roll out sometime in early 2025.

The Android 16 developer preview offers feature APIs like photo picker, health records and a new version of the privacy sandbox for Android. We can’t wait to try out the public beta version, for which you will need a Pixel phone. The new Android update cycle should also get other brands to pull up their socks (we’re looking at you, Samsung) and bring the new versions quickly to their devices.