Google releases the First Developer Preview for Android 16

As expected, Google is releasing the first developer preview for Android 16 today. This is much earlier than usual. However, Google has already confirmed that Android 16 is slated for release in the second quarter versus the usual third-quarter release. This means the developer previews are also moving up by about three months.

Google is also confirming that there will be a second preview in December, with the public betas beginning in January. Currently, there are four betas planned for Android 16; of course, things could change, as we are still super early in the development stage for Android 16. The final release is set for Q2, which means it will be heading to AOSP by June 30. However, we have confirmed with our sources that Android 16 is set to roll out on June 3.

As the company stated last month, this change is going to allow Google to do more frequent API releases, which will help drive faster innovation while also enhancing stability and polish for users and developers. For 2025, Google is planning Android 16, plus another smaller update later in the year that will adjust some APIs.

Google will also continue to have quarterly Android releases in Q1 and Q3 next year.

You can flash the Android 16 Developer Preview today

If you’re excited to put Android 16 through its paces already, well you can flash the Developer Preview onto your Pixel device today. Keep in mind that this is the very first developer preview, so it is going to be very rough. Expect it to be very buggy and for features to simply not work. We recommend only installing this if you have a spare device lying around and not installing it on your daily driver.

Developers can start working on Android 16 and incorporate the new APIs into their apps. You’ll be able to compile against the new SDK, test in CI environments, and report issues to the AOSP tracker. However, keep in mind that the APIs won’t be final until March, when Platform Stability begins with Android 16 Beta 3.