The release of Android 16 Beta 3 is coming sooner than you might think. Google has just teased on its official Android Developers X account that the release is dropping tomorrow, March 13. That is, unfortunately, all Google has to share at the moment.
A quick teaser of what’s to be expected tomorrow. The release will presumably go live sometime in the late morning hours, though this doesn’t mean that everyone will see the update come through at the same time. With past beta releases, Google usually makes the software available through an over-the-air update in addition to being able to download the software and install it manually outside of the OTA.
Users can probably expect the same thing to happen tomorrow as well. However, it’s still not clear which version of the software will be live first. If you’re currently enrolled in the beta, then you’ll want to watch for notifications that the beta is available to download and install after Google announces its release.
The Android 16 Beta 3 release will mostly be for developers
As with all of Google’s developer and beta releases, there likely won’t be much for end users. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any user-facing features arriving. However, users shouldn’t expect any sweeping changes with a ton of new features. It’s still early in the year, and the official rollout is months away. As reported back in early January, Google’s exact rollout date for Android 16 is June 3. At this point, Google is supposed to push the software to AOSP and as an OTA for compatible Pixel devices.
With that being said, that leaves nearly three months before the full version of the software is available. If anything, we’d expect more user-facing features in a later beta.
What to expect going forward
Although tomorrow’s release may not have any huge changes for users, there are several rumored features that can be expected in the final release. A report from February 25 suggests that Android 16 may allow users to take true HDR screenshots.
Android 16 will also introduce a new “Live Notifications” feature, which will let you do things like check flight status. It’s also suggested that you might be able to ditch certain Quick Settings tiles and interact with a new enhanced Desktop Mode.
