Google has postponed the launch windows of its mobile devices as has the arrival of the final version of Android 16, expected before summer. This fact led to the launch of the first preview for developers of the next version of Android to refine details and add new features.
One of Google’s first changes was to bring forward the presentation date of the Pixel 9 from October to August. And it seems that the same thing will happen with the next Pixel 9a, which we know that the idea of the tech giant is to launch it in March. The reason for all these changes is mainly due to match certain dates with manufacturer update rollouts
About three months in advance, the first developer preview of Android 16 has just been deployed and a roadmap has been shared to know on site the next deployments so that the final objective is to launch the new final version in the second quarter of 2025. Any owner of a Pixel mobile can now try it, even if it is not a version for use daily.
The different deployments of previous, beta and final versions of Android 16
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This would be between the months of April to June and there would be another important updatealthough a little smaller, for the fourth quarter (October to December) which could be called Android 16.1 or 16.3; similar to what Samsung does with its One UI 6.0 or One UI 6.1 when it deploys it on the new devices it launches on the Spanish market.
This last and smallest update would be the in charge of adding something new to the experience, optimizations and bug fixes, although this will not include a radical change in the overall mobile user experience.
As mentioned, Google’s idea to bring forward the arrival date of Android 16 is due to adapting it to the roadmaps of the different manufacturers that launch Android phones and thus more devices can receive the latest version sooner major operating system.
What’s new in Android 16
On the news side, the first preview of Android 16 has new APIs. One of them does the system photo picker is more manageablewhile there is another that includes support for medical records so that applications can read and write medical records in FHIR format with explicit user consent.
The dates of the next previews and beta of Android 16
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Another notable appearance is a new privacy sandbox. According to the roadmap shared by Google on its website, the next developer preview is expected to roll out next month so that the first beta of Android 16 will arrive in January, a second in February, and a third in March.
The latter, according to GSMArenewould be the one focused on the stability of the platform to smooth out the rough edges and thus go prepare everything for the final deployment of the stable versionalthough in April there would be another beta version, the fourth; Yes, provided that everything goes as planned and no delays are generated due to the appearance of a bug or a system stability issue.
