Android 16 launches in developer preview – here are the hottest feature rumors
- Android 16 has just been launched in developer preview form
- Developers can use it to get their apps ready
- A full launch is planned for the first half of 2025
Android 15 was only pushed to Pixel phones last month, but Google isn’t holding back when it comes to Android 16: the developer preview is now live, so app makers can start getting to grips with the software update from 2025.
These previews give developers a chance to get their apps ready for the full release of Android 16, and they evolve over time – so right now we can’t tell you many new features.
What Google has said is that Android 16 will allow users to give apps access to a select number of photos and videos in their phone library if they want, instead of everything (that’s how it works on iOS). It also lays the groundwork for improvements in health record synchronization between apps and devices, with user consent.
Speaking of privacy, the Privacy Sandbox portion of the mobile operating system is being updated for Android 16. Essentially, this means we get more control over the data apps can access, and how that data can be shared between apps.
This is what’s coming
Android 16 may seem like it doesn’t offer many new features now, but it’s still early days: expect to hear more about major upgrades when the public beta launches in January 2025, and at the Google I/O 2025 event in May 2025 should take place.
Changes rumored to come with Android 16 include more user control over Do Not Disturb mode, improved security features, and a different way to access Quick Settings. We may also see the iPhone’s Dynamic Island idea brought to Android devices, giving app makers another way to present live information.
We already know that Google wants to release the software in mid-2025, which is earlier than normal. The shift is to “better align with the schedule of device launches in our ecosystem, so more devices can get Android’s major release sooner,” Google says.
Android 15 was actually ready just weeks before it hit phones, which doesn’t normally happen – and it’s clear Google doesn’t want a repeat next year, with the Google Pixel 10 most likely releasing sometime in August 2025.
