When Could Android 16 Actually Launch? [Video]

Android 16—oh, what can we say about Android 16? It’s shunted forward; it hasn’t offered anything major in the preview phase, but what does this mean, when could it drop, and why is it important? Here’s everything you need to know.

Two-part release

For the first time in a few years, we’re getting a two-part launch for Android 16. Instead of a big one-per-year drop of the mobile operating system, your eligible Pixel will get a smaller initial OTA followed by yet another update later in the year.

There are a few reasons for this.

Firstly, we had a strange launch process in 2024. Made by Google was in August. This meant that the Pixel 9 came almost 2 months earlier than the usual release cadence. Android 15 was not ready by this stage so the newest, shiniest Google phone shipped with the Android 15 update from 2023. Not exactly a stellar move.

The next major Android update is coming forward to account for the likely August launch of the Pixel 10.

Because Android 15 was only launched in October 2024, that would provide less than a full year in the oven for Android 16. So, instead of one big launch, we’re getting a small preparatory release followed by another final version later in the year.

Is this why changes in Android 16 have been so minimal so far?

If the development team behind Android 16 are effectively working to multiple deadlines, leaving more time in the oven for bigger functions makes a lot of sense. In essence, the aim for the first Android 16 release is to prepare the core framework before turning attention to the bigger, bolder choices in the usual end-of-year launch.

Of course, this is purely speculation, but it could account for the real lack of perceived major changes and mostly cosmetic alterations to our favorite mobile operating system.

Another explanation could be that Android has been a stable system for a long time now. To liken this to desktop operating systems like Windows and Mac OS, there have been no major shifts since the GUI-based system became commonplace over 25 years ago. Sure, XR and AR are potential new frontiers, but they are still in the early phases of development.

Android XR represents a brand new paradigm for the world’s biggest mobile platform. As of March 2025, there are no devices out in the wild running the software. It is likely to be a long time before Android XR reaches a large enough market to be deemed relevant to the discussion of when Android releases arrive or how changes affect usage.

Expected timeframe

This means that Android 16 is coming in two distinct parts. According to Google, the first portion will be a major SDK release. To the layperson, this just means that any under-the-hood changes that affect the core system are expected to be finalized and ready for developers to take advantage of any new APIs and associated features.

This will be at some point in “Q2 2025,” which is a sensible signpost as it means that if something delays or causes issues, a strict deadline doesn’t technically need to be adhered to. However, there are some signals that June 2025 is the most likely release phase.

Sure, the official timeframe is flexible, but it does account for the regular Quarterly Platform Releases. There will be a QPR release in March 2025. The next logical QPR release is June 2025. Given we are in the midst of a rolling Android 16 Beta phase, the all-important “platform stability” milestone is touted for Android 16 Beta 3.

This is expected to arrive in March 2025, shortly after the stable Android 15 QPR3 release. In theory, this means we will have a working, ready-to-go version of Android 16 in the not-too-distant future – likely in the coming weeks.

Dialing in deeper, over the past few years, Google I/O has almost always seen an “big” Android beta release. Some of the standout functions – like Private Space – have been added with this OTA.

This year I/O is going to take place on May 20-21 and, therefore throws a spanner in the works. This would be late into the Android 16 Beta cycle, likely past the “Platform Stability” threshold, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out that we might not see a beta at the developer event.

If we take June as phase one for Android 16, then Q4 2025 is when we’ll see the second phase. Releasing in two pieces is confusing, but we will get the full-fat, flavor complete Android 16 likely in October 2025.

What do you want to see from Android 16? Let us know in the comments section below.

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