Early bird: Google releases first developer preview of Android 16
The first developer preview of Android 16 is available months earlier than usual. Google wants to push out new Android updates more quickly in the future.
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Google has already released the first developer preview of Android 16 – just a few 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.
With the early release of the new Android developer preview, Google wants to herald a faster update cycle, explains developer Matthew McCullough in a blog post. "This is the beginning of Android with more frequent API releases as part of our efforts to encourage faster innovation in apps and devices."
Google is releasing the new Android developer preview several months earlier than in previous years. The version for end users will also be released earlier this time: According to Google, Android 16 will be released as early as the second quarter of 2025, i.e. by the end of June at the latest. Previously, major Android versions were regularly released in the fall. Following the release in summer 2025, Google wants to add further functions before a smaller version update is released at the end of the year – This is also new. The new release cycle is to be maintained in the following years.
Release cycle matches the Pixel
The timing should be better suited to the release of new devices, writes McCullough: Because new Pixel smartphones are released in late summer, they were previously launched on the market with Android versions that were already almost a year old at that time. Thanks to the earlier release of the new Android version, Google phones can score points with fresh Android versions right at launch.
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There are not yet many new features in the first developer preview for Android 16; the announcements are primarily aimed at developers. What end users might also get to see: App developers will be able to integrate the Photo Picker, which allows you to select photos for sharing, directly into their apps with Android 16. Previously, a pop-up always opened at system level.
(dahe)
