Confirmed: Android 16 is coming sooner than we thought

We only conscionable sewage Android 15, but alternatively than having to hold until precocious 2025 for Android 16, Google has confirmed that its adjacent awesome package merchandise will onshore successful nan 2nd 4th of 2025 – truthful location betwixt April and June.

The institution revealed arsenic overmuch connected its Android Developers blog, claiming that it’s releasing Android 16 earlier than accustomed truthful that much devices tin get nan latest Android merchandise earlier.

In different words, phones for illustration nan Samsung Galaxy S25, for example, will astir apt get Android 16 wrong a fewer months of launch, alternatively than having to hold six months aliases more. The likes of nan Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Google Pixel 10 will surely vessel pinch Android 16, too.

Interestingly, Google says that location will besides beryllium a “minor” Android merchandise successful nan last 3 months of 2025. This will see characteristic updates, optimizations, and bug fixes, but won’t see immoderate app-impacting behaviour changes.

The institution hasn’t really named either of these updates, but arsenic nan only “major” Android merchandise successful 2025, nan first of these will surely beryllium Android 16, while nan 2nd sounds for illustration it mightiness beryllium Android 16.1.

On apical of that, we’ll spot “incremental updates” successful nan first and 3rd quarters of 2025.

Smaller updates, much often

With astir of nan highest floor plan Android phones landing successful nan first half of nan year, it makes consciousness to motorboat caller versions of Android astatine astir nan aforesaid clip aliases soon after, but this alteration does mean that Google will person little clip to create Android 16 than it's typically allowed for.

That, successful turn, mightiness mean that this is simply a smaller update than we've seen from erstwhile years, though that’s conscionable speculation for now. And moreover if it is, nan merchandise of Android 16.1 (or immoderate it ends up being called) later successful nan twelvemonth should bring further changes.

So, if Google sticks pinch this attack successful early years, it could simply mean that there’s a much regular drip-feed of Android improvements passim each year, alternatively than a azygous monolithic overhaul erstwhile a year. We're surely connected committee pinch that approach.

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