Google has announced the Android 16 Developer Preview months ahead of the usual launch timeline, as the company has already confirmed that Android 16 will be launching early next year. This developer preview build is an early look at the next version of Android for testing, development, and feedback.
The Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is now available for all Google Pixel smartphones launched since Pixel 6 through Pixel 9 series. “This is the start of Android having more frequent API releases as part of our effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices,” Google said in an Android Developers blog post.
Google added that this preview is for the next major release of Android with a planned launch in Q2 of 2025. As per the timeline shared by Google, Beta releases will start from January 2025 with the final Beta 4 build expected in April or May, followed by the Platform Stability stage in March 2025 and then a stable release in Q2 2025, likely in June. A leak suggests it would be released on June 3.
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At key development milestones, Google will deliver updates for the developer’s development and testing environments. “Each update includes SDK tools, system images, emulators, API reference, and API diffs.”
The Developer Preview releases are early baseline builds for developers only. They are not suitable for daily use by early adopters or consumers, so Google is making Android 16 Developer Preview available by manual download and flash only on the following Pixel devices:
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold
Google reiterates that the earlier-than-usual release timeline is being followed to “better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner.” Finally, Google plans to have another release in Q4 of 2025 which also will include new developer APIs. The Q2 major release will be the only release in 2025 to include planned behavior changes that could affect apps.
Google is actively working with its device partners to bring the Q2 release to as many devices as possible.