It wasn’t a joke, Google actually is altering Android’s launch timeframe. The primary developer preview of a brand new model used to return out round February-March. Not anymore. The primary developer preview of Android 16 is out now, method forward of the earlier schedule.
Google is reiterating that Android 16 will come out within the second quarter of subsequent yr (April to June), adopted by a minor new Android launch within the fourth quarter (October to December), which we assume might be dubbed Android 16.1 or 16.5 or one thing comparable. This one will “decide up characteristic updates, optimizations, and bug fixes” however “won’t embrace any app-impacting habits modifications”.
And as soon as once more the corporate says the aim of those modifications is “to raised align with the schedule of system launches” throughout the Android ecosystem, “so extra gadgets can get the main launch of Android sooner”.
The primary developer preview consists of new APIs that make the picture picker really feel like a extra built-in a part of the app. There are APIs supporting well being information, permitting apps to learn and write medical information in FHIR format with specific person consent. There’s additionally a brand new model of the Privateness Sandbox.
Count on one other developer preview subsequent month, adopted by the primary beta in January, a second beta in February, then a 3rd one in late March which can ship “platform stability” (when the ultimate SDK/NDK APIs might be delivered together with ultimate inner APIs and app-facing system behaviors). There’s yet one more beta after that in April, adopted by the ultimate launch in some unspecified time in the future in Q2, because the picture above clearly reveals.
Because the title implies, developer previews are solely meant for app builders to run. From the primary beta onwards, you’ll be able to be a part of within the enjoyable too by enrolling your Pixel into the Android Beta program.
