Late last year, on September 3rd to be exact, Android 15 had its final source code released for OEMs and other device manufacturers to take full advantage of. Quite naturally, it’d be expected that whenever it was time for the next big OS version to come onto the scene, it’d be about a full year later.
We already heard earlier that Android 16 was expected to arrive way ahead of the usual schedule, but today, with the launch of the first public beta of Android 16, it’s as real as can be. Most of the mentioned additions are most notable for the developers in the crowd, but let’s still dive into some of the more interesting improvements.
Android 16 Has Started Its Engines; First Public Beta Is Now Here
It’s 2025, and that means that a new version of the Android operating system is due. We’re only in January, but this year is going to be expedited, with the first public beta for Android 16 having been released already. That’s a pretty exciting pace, especially since it is only about four months after the stable release of Android 15. Let’s talk about some of the things that the new OS version will be bringing to the table.
Apps Will Adapt to Any Screen Size
If you’ve ever used an Android tablet or one of those fancy foldables, you might have encountered apps that refuse to resize and leave you with tons of black space. We buy big devices to use their big screens, so that tends to suck.
In Android 16, developers will no longer be able to tell apps not to resize or adjust to orientation. That means you’ll be able to run every app in a way that takes full advantage of your screen’s size and aspect ratio. Games won’t be included in this change, however.
Live Updates: A New Form of Notification
For tasks that can be considered to be “in progress”, such as trips in ridesharing apps, deliveries, and navigation, Android 16 will introduce Live Updates (something similar to Samsung’s Now Bar functionality maybe?). This is a new type of notification that should make it easier to track various details related to the progress of any of those activities—its expected start, end, and current progress, as well as other sorts of milestones.
New Camera and Video Upgrades
Android 16 is introducing the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec, which is utilized for recording professional-grade video. Content creators who use their smartphones will like that a lot.
It will also make it easier for applications with built-in cameras to be able to know when to switch to Night Mode, which will allow for better low-light results, regardless of the app you’re using.
According to Google, Android 16’s Stable Release Should Be After April
According to Google, Android 16’s stable release is expected in the second quarter of the year, and according to the graphic released by the tech giant, that might most likely be in May—but almost certainly not April. If you have any Pixel smartphone from the Pixel 6 series onward, you’ll be able to enroll your device in the beta program.
The reasoning for this year’s earlier release is to give the majority of device releases a chance to come with the newest version of Android out of the box. We saw how busy October was last month, so having Android 16 ready from H1 2025 will leave no excuses for not shipping H2 devices with the new OS.
