Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Today, Google launched Android 16 Developer Preview 1 for supported Pixel devices.
- The update brings a handful of new features, including an embedded photo picker.
- Most importantly, today’s launch pushes the eventual stable release forward by about three months.
Google threw us for a whirl last month when it announced that it would launch Android 16 a whole lot earlier than usual. In its announcement, the company confirmed the stable version of Android 16 would come in Q2 2025 instead of Q3, slashing as much as three months off the usual wait time for a new Android upgrade. In that same announcement, it also confirmed it would “soon begin the developer preview and beta program” for Android 16. Well, when Google meant “soon,” it really meant it, as today, just a few weeks later, we already have the first Android 16 Developer Preview!
As always, Developer Preview releases are the first early versions of a new Android upgrade. They are usually filled with bugs, have broken features, and are generally not designed to be used by consumers (hence the focus on developers in the name). What Google really wants is for developers to start toying around with the software and testing out their apps so that they and Google have plenty of time to iron out the kinks before the stable release.
In other words, it is not recommended that you install Android 16 on your phone or tablet right now. Eventually, Google will shift to public beta releases, which are designed for early adopter consumers. Regardless, if you have a recent Pixel device and are OK using experimental software on it, nothing is stopping you from installing Android 16. We have instructions for you at the link, and the list of Pixel devices that can install Android 16 is here:
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold
Given that this is the first release, there’s not much to talk about quite yet. Here’s what Google has confirmed.
Confirmed new features within Android 16 DP1
The biggest, most consumer-facing update in Android 16 DP1 is a new list of APIs related to the photo picker. The photo picker is the pop-up menu you see when uploading media to an app. Years ago, adding media to an app would require that app to gain access to your entire media library, which is obviously not great. The photo picker allows you to select just the photos and videos you want to upload, preventing the app from “seeing” anything except what you give it.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
In Android 16 DP1, Google is bringing in new APIs that will allow developers to have more creative control over how the photo picker appears for the user. This will make it feel like the photo picker is more a part of that app, while still keeping the same security and privacy safeguards found in the photo picker in Android 15 and earlier.
Elsewhere, Google is updating Health Connect within Android 16 to support certain health records. This will allow Health Connect to both read and write Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard, which is likely the same standard your doctor, dentist, and other healthcare providers use. Due to the sensitive nature of this feature, though, Google is limiting it within an early access program, forcing developers to apply for access before playing around with it.
Finally, Android 16 also includes the latest version of Privacy Sandbox. This controversial system was designed to solve some problems with third-party internet cookies and other user-tracking systems. However, not much has changed since Google started using Privacy Sandbox, so it’s unlikely users will see many differences in their experiences at this time.
When will Android 16 launch in stable form?
Google hopes to finish up the Developer Preview portion of the Android 16 rollout by the end of 2024. The first beta release — which will be the first time general users will be encouraged to give it a shot — is expected to land in January 2025. If all goes to plan, we should see a stable launch of Andrroid 16 as early as May 2025, although a June or July release is probably more realistic.
Considering the Google Pixel 9 series launched a lot earlier than usual this year (August instead of October), it’s not unreasonable to assume the Google Pixel 10 series could be the first set of Android phones to come with Android 16 out-of-the-box. When the Pixel 10 series could launch, though, is unknown.
Also, remember that Google has already confirmed that it will launch a second Android SDK upgrade in Q4 2025. This will be minor, though, with no planned compatibility changes. As of now, we don’t know if this will be marketed as Android 16, Android 16.1, or something else. Google will likely confirm this for us later in 2025.
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