Since releasing Android 15 in September, the Android improvement workforce has been laborious at work on the following main launch, and right this moment it’s saying the primary developer preview for Android 16.
In accordance with the workforce, this launch marks the beginning of a quicker launch cycle for Android APIs. Beforehand, the key API launch would occur in Q3, however subsequent yr it would occur in Q2. This higher aligns with the machine launch schedule and can permit extra gadgets to get the Android launch sooner, the workforce defined.
As a result of API being launched earlier, the Android workforce recommends builders do compatibility testing just a few months earlier to make sure apps are prepared in time.
After the Q2 launch, there shall be one other main API launch in This autumn that may embrace developer APIs and have updates, optimizations, and bug fixes, however gained’t embrace new conduct adjustments that might have an effect on apps.
Moreover, there’ll nonetheless be quarterly Android releases, and the Q1 and Q3 updates that come between the API releases will embrace incremental updates, the Android workforce defined.
By way of new options within the working system itself, new additions to Android on this developer preview embrace:
- The power to embed the photograph picker into an app’s view hierarchy, in order that customers can choose media with no need to offer an app with overly broad permissions
- Assist for well being information in Well being Join
- The most recent model of the Privateness Sandbox on Android
The Android improvement workforce additionally shared that it hopes to attain platform stability by March 2025 to offer app builders loads of time to check their apps earlier than the ultimate launch, usually in late summer time or early fall.
