With Android 16, Google is revising the release schedule for its updates. Until now delivered during the fall, the new major versions of the operating system will now be provided in the spring. In doing so, Google wants to give manufacturers more time to integrate these versions into their smartphones.
The first preview for developers was offered last November, and it is now the turn of the most enthusiastic users to test the few new features of Android 16, with a first beta (developers are also strongly encouraged to install it to ensure the compliance of their applications). Only Pixel smartphones are compatible, starting with the 6th.
Just like Android 15 before it, Android 16 will not be a fireworks display of new features, even if the next betas could sprinkle a few others. This first beta contains in any case a Live Updates system that is not without evoking Apple's Live Activities, a type of notification that appeared with the Dynamic Island... and that we saw at work during Samsung's Unpacked presentation. They will therefore not be reserved for the Galaxy S25.
These notifications allow you to follow events such as football matches or the arrival of an Uber on the lock screen. Video recording will improve with support for the APV (Advanced Professional Video) codec used in professional environments, and there is also a new extension for Night mode that allows photo apps to automatically switch depending on the brightness.
Developers can now create their own Gemini extensions, a feature also announced by Samsung with the Galaxy S25 range. Android 16 also requires apps to adapt to the large screens of tablets and foldable devices; they will not be able to restrict orientation or resizing (a temporary exclusion option is still available, but it will disappear with Android 17).
Google intends to deliver two major updates for Android 16 after the “platform stability” release scheduled for March: the first in Q2 will include changes affecting applications, the second (in Q4) will focus on additional features and fixes. There will also be updates every quarter with security fixes and improvements in all directions.
Source: Google
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