Google surprised us this year by starting a quarter early with the betas of the next version of Android. So, it launched Android 16 Developer Preview in November and now, as expected, we already have it available Android 16 2 Developer Preview.
It will be the latest beta for developers before the start of public betas, already in January. As a beta for developers, the changes are mainly internal, although it also reveals some changes that will reach users with the new version of the operating system.
What's new in Android 16 Developer Preview 2
Everything is going as expected in Android 16, which, with today's launch of its second Developer Preview, completes its test versions for developers. After At least four public betas will follow before the final launch, from April.
The changes in this second Developer Preview 2 are mainly internal in the form of new features that developers can take advantage of in their applications. For example, applications will have more control over phone haptic feedback and adaptive refresh.
They are improving though. the photo selector (which will soon have a search engine) and improved positioning with Wi-Fi Ranging improves its security with AES-256 encryption. Android 16 also includes changes to make it easier for apps to support the predictive back gesture.
In addition to the official changes, mainly focused on developers, we are gradually learning some more details about what awaits users in the next update. For now, we have a few brushstrokes, such as the arrival of the new emojis in Unicode 16.0 like the face with dark circles or the turnip.
New emojis in Android 16
It also emerged that Android 16 will allow some mobiles use the fingerprint reader with the screen offthus making unlocking easier. This is apparently exclusive to the latest Google Pixel 9 for now.
Mobile phones compatible with Android 16
Like the previous Developer Preview, Android 16 is available for the Google Pixel starting with the Google Pixel 6. Compatible mobile phones are therefore as follows:
If you own one of these Google Pixels, you can install Android 16 Developer Preview 2 by manually downloading and flashing the appropriate firmware for your terminal or, the recommended option, via the Android Flash Tool. However, flashing the developer preview from a stable version, such as Android 15, requires resetting the device to factory, thereby losing all data. .
More information | Android developers
In Xataka Android | Android 16: news, release date, compatible phones and everything we know so far
