Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is now available, 3 months early

It seems Google is wasting no time in getting Android 16 up and running quite a bit ahead of the normal schedule. With a planned launch in Q2 of 2025, we’re already seeing the first Developer Preview land on Pixel devices a whole three months earlier than usual. This shift definitely aligns with Google’s goal of getting the latest Android version onto more devices sooner, and it’s got us pretty excited for what’s coming in Android’s latest version.

Officially, Google wants to “better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem.” Essentially, this means getting Android 16 ready to roll out on new devices as they hit the market, rather than playing catch-up later in the year as we saw with the Pixel 9 series back in August. This makes a lot of sense and should lead to a more consistent experience across the entire Android ecosystem.

What’s New in Android 16 DP1?

While this early preview is primarily aimed at developers, there are a few interesting tidbits for us regular users to dig into. Like we saw with Android 15, this isn’t a huge UI overhaul with a ton of new front-facing changes. Instead, we’re seeing more behind the scenes tweaks that will benefit users, but might not turn too many heads at this point. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s new at the moment:

• System Photo Picker Enhancements: Apps will now be able to offer a more integrated photo picking experience, making it feel like a natural part of the app while still maintaining strong privacy protections.
• Health Connect with FHIR Support: Health and fitness apps will be able to read and write medical records in the FHIR format with explicit user consent. This is a big step towards better interoperability in the health tech space.
• Privacy Sandbox Updates: Android 16 continues to refine the Privacy Sandbox, further enhancing user privacy and control over data.
• 7-Day Permission History in Privacy Dashboard: Android 16 expands the Privacy Dashboard to include a 7-day history of app access to your location, camera, and microphone, giving you a more comprehensive view of your privacy.
• Audio Sharing: This feature, which allows you to share audio with other devices using Bluetooth LE Audio, is finally functional in Android 16 DP1. This opens up some cool possibilities for shared listening experiences.
• Notification Cooldown: If you’re bombarded with notifications, this handy feature will temporarily lower the volume and minimize alerts to give you a break.

System images are available for a wide range of Pixel devices, from the Pixel 6 all the way up to the latest Pixel 9 series, including the Fold and Tablet. You can grab the factory images and OTAs from Google’s developer site if you’d like to go down the road of getting this unstable build installed on a device that isn’t your daily driver. Google lays out the ways you can do this pretty clearly, but I’d steer clear unless you are a developer at this point.

Pixel 6’s unexpected inclusion

One of the most surprising things about this release is that the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are included in the Developer Preview. Officially, these phones were only guaranteed updates until October 2024. Could this mean that Google is extending their support until Android 16 rolls out next year? It’s too early to say for sure, but it’s a very promising sign!

Google has a busy roadmap for Android 16, with a second Developer Preview coming next month and Beta releases starting in January. Platform Stability is expected in March 2025 with Beta 3, and a final release should happen late in Q2 – likely in June after Google I/O 2025 has elapsed. With the potential move of Chromebooks over to Android, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Android 16 as it develops to see if we can spot any ChromeOS tidbits making the move for this Android/ChromeOS future that feels inevitable. Stay tuned!