Google will release Android 16 in the second quarter

When Android 15 was not yet fully popularized, Google had already started the development of Android 16.

Currently, Google has released multiple developer previews of Android 16, which means that we are getting closer to the final version. CNMO noted that this generation of Android 16 has a lot to look out for.

 The release time breaks the mold

After Android 10, for the most part, Google’s Android system was released in the fall of that year. However, according to the current information, the Android 16 generation has broken the update pattern maintained in previous years.

According to Samir Sarmat, president of the Android ecosystem, Android 16 will be officially launched in the second quarter of 2025, 2-3 months earlier than in previous years. Behind this change is Google’s keen judgment of the market competition situation – in the face of the pressure of the possible early release of iOS 19, the Android camp needs to seize the ecological niche through technological iteration.

The pace of developer previews and open betas reveals the full picture of Android 16 development: in the fourth quarter of 2024, the first developer previews of Android 16 will be released, focusing on testing infrastructure; In the first quarter of 2025, Google will launch the Android 16 multi-device beta test, covering the entire Pixel series and flagship flagships of mainstream manufacturers. In the second quarter of 2025, the official version of Android 16 will be pushed (expected to be from the end of May to the beginning of June); In the fourth quarter of 2025, the 16.1 maintenance release is planned to improve system stability.

 Device adaptation

作为谷歌的嫡系部队,Pixel系列自然成为Android 16的首发阵地。 Soon,Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet等机型均可进行Android 16 beta update。

In terms of Chinese mobile phone manufacturers, a few models such as Xiaomi 15 Standard Edition, Xiaomi 14T Pro, and OnePlus 13 can also be updated with Android 16 beta.

Google’s Pixel series of mobile phones are not publicly sold in the Chinese mainland market, but in general, we can also find new or used models on Taobao, Xianyu and other platforms. Netizens who are interested in Google phones can collect some Pixel series phones to experience it.

 The Functional Matrix Revolution

CNMO understands that Google has prepared a large number of upgrades for Android 16.

First, in Android 16, Google introduced a whole new type of notification – progress-centric notifications, which are similar to Live Activities in iOS. It gives users the ability to monitor important ongoing activities in real-time, such as carpooling, deliveries, or navigation, among others. Unlike iOS, Google places more emphasis on the importance of such notifications under the lock screen, as they are considered high-priority information. In addition, the presence of such notifications can be seen in both the status bar and always-on mode, ensuring that users can easily access critical information even when the device is locked.

Privacy has always been one of the main concerns of Android, and the photo picker is a concrete embodiment of this philosophy. In the current Android system, users can selectively allow apps to access specific photos and videos instead of the entire gallery. In Android 16, this feature has been further optimized to include the ability to search directly from cloud media providers, and developers can seamlessly integrate the photo picker into their app interfaces through a new API.

At the same time, in order to improve the operational efficiency of users, Android 16 has improved the return navigation. When the user presses and holds the back button, the system will display a preview of the page to be returned to help the user better understand the current operation process. This feature is especially useful for devices in three-button navigation mode, making navigation more intuitive.

In addition, to make games and other interactive experiences more immersive, Android 16 introduces a new haptic feedback API that allows developers to precisely control the intensity and frequency of vibration effects. This means that players can experience more realistic vibrations in the game, such as explosions, collisions, or gunshots. At the same time, smartphone manufacturers can also set unique vibration patterns for different types of notifications, allowing users to identify incoming calls or messages without having to look at their phone.

For photography enthusiasts, the hybrid auto exposure model brought by Android 16 is very noteworthy. This model allows the user to manually fine-tune certain exposure parameters while letting the auto-exposure algorithm handle the rest. In addition, Android 16’s night mode scene detection feature has been upgraded, and third-party apps can more accurately identify low-light environments and automatically switch to night mode to take high-quality photos. The camera’s HDR capabilities have also been expanded to support the UltraHDR image format, as well as AVIF UltraHDR support, which may be added in a future release.

Responding to the needs of professionals, Android 16 introduces an advanced professional video (APV) codec, designed for high-quality video recording and post-production. The APV codec offers several benefits, including perceptual lossless compression that is close to the original video quality, support for multiple resolutions, and support for the HDR10/10+ standard.

Finally, Android 16 integrates the latest Privacy Sandbox version to build an ecosystem that protects user privacy while meeting the needs of advertisers. By reducing unnecessary tracking, the platform hopes to improve user privacy without compromising business interests.