Google just dropped Android 16, but only for developers

Image credit: Max Buondonno / The Shortcut

• 🤖 Google has released the first developer preview of Android 16

• 🕰️ The beta version of the update arrives three months earlier than usual

• 👀 There aren’t a lot of big new features so far, but there are a handful of smaller ones

• 📅 Android 16 will roll out in the first half of 2025

Google has released the first Android 16 beta for developers, starting the testing process for the next version of Android earlier than ever before. That’s because Google wants to ship Android 16 by the end of the first half of 2025, and it’s on track to do so. We usually see the first developer preview of the next Android upgrade in February, but this time around, it’s arrived three months early.

The Android 16 logo. (Image credit: Google)

While the first developer preview of major Android release is usually void of big features, there are a number of changes and new additions that folks have noticed in early testing of Android 16.

One of the biggest new features is audio sharing. In Android 16, you can connect to two pairs of headphones at once, so long as the headphones support Bluetooth LE. It’s one of those features you’d assume was already there, so it’s great to see Google add it in.

Android 16 also has Rich Ongoing Notifications, which allow apps to show more information than just their icon in the persistent notification in your phone’s status bar. Think of them as miniature versions of the Dynamic Island on iPhone, allowing you to see things like Uber pickup times, alarm countdowns, email subjects, and more.

Notifications are also getting tweaked around with new compact views, the ability to block old notifications, and more. Google is always messing around with how notifications work in Android, so it’s unclear how the dust will settle for them by the time Android 16 ships.

Some changes to the app switcher, do not disturb, Quick Settings, screen recording, and lock screen widgets are also included in this first developer preview. Google is also giving developers new tools for embedding photo pickers in their apps, updating Health Connect to support Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard, and updating Privacy Sandbox to the latest version.

Image credit: Google

This is the first developer preview of Android 16, and according to Google’s chart, we still have five more betas before it rolls out to the world. We expect the update to be here before phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Pixel 10 all ship later next year, so stay tuned.