Surprise! Google is releasing the first developer preview of Android 16 today so that app developers can test the new APIs and behavior changes that'll arrive in next year's big update. Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is going live with new features like an embedded photo picker, medical record support, and an updated Privacy Sandbox. Here's everything you need to know.
✕ Remove Ads When will Google release Android 16?
First of all, it might surprise you to hear that Google is releasing Android 16 DP1 today. After all, the first developer preview of Android 15 launched in February 2024. February is also when Google released the first developer previews of the last four major Android releases, making November quite early for the first preview of the next major Android release.
However, Google announced at the end of last month that it's accelerating Android's release schedule. The company confirmed it plans to release Android 16 sometime in Q2 of 2025. One leak points towards a June 3, 2025, release date for Android 16, but that hasn't been confirmed yet.
What we do know is the general release schedule for Android 16, which includes two developer previews and four betas that are expected to roll out as follows:
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Date
Release
Today
Android 16 Developer Preview 1
December 2024
Android 16 Developer Preview 2
January 2025
Android 16 Beta 1
February 2025
Android 16 Beta 2
March 2025
Android 16 Beta 3
April 2025
Android 16 Beta 4
Android 16 Beta 3 in March 2025 will mark the operating system's Platform Stability milestone. When Android 16 reaches Platform Stability, Google assures that subsequent updates to Android 16 won't change any existing APIs, add new APIs, or modify app-facing system behaviors. The Platform Stability milestone is also when developers will be allowed to release updates to their apps on Google Play to make them target Android 16. For reference, Android 15 reached its Platform Stability milestone with its third beta in June 2024, so again, Android 16 will be ready for users and developers much earlier than usual.
✕ Remove Ads What's new in Android 16 Developer Preview 1?
There are four noteworthy changes in Android 16 Developer Preview 1, though only two of them are somewhat relevant to users. These include a new embedded photo picker experience, medical record support in the Health Connect app, an updated version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android, and a new constant to differentiate Android 16 from the upcoming Q4 minor release.
Embedded photo picker
The new embedded photo picker in Android 16 will hopefully solve a long-standing issue with the photo picker, namely that it isn't used by many apps. The photo picker, if you aren't aware, was introduced in Android 13 as a privacy-preserving way for apps to request access to select images and videos in your phone's gallery. Unfortunately, not many apps support the photo picker, though that might change as Google is starting to crack down on apps that unnecessarily access your media library, pushing them to migrate to the photo picker.
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What Android's current, standalone photo picker experience looks like
One reason that many apps haven't adopted the photo picker yet is that it can't be integrated directly into them. Instead, when an app invokes the photo picker, it's shown in a separate panel that pops up over the screen. With Android 16, however, developers can leverage new APIs to embed the photo picker, making it feel like a more integrated part of the app whilst maintaining the privacy-preserving benefits of the experience. Developers interested in embedding the photo picker should wait for Google to release a new Android Jetpack library so they don't have to worry about compatibility issues across Android versions.
✕ Remove Ads Medical records in Health Connect
The Health Connect app is getting a big upgrade in Android 16. In the Android 16 release, Health Connect will let apps read and write medical records in FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) format. FHIR is a data standard that enables electronic health records (EHR) to exchange medical records with one another; you can basically think of it as the Health Connect of medical records.
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The current version of Health Connect only supports health and fitness data.
Google says apps will need explicit user consent to read and write medical records stored in Health Connect. The APIs to do so are currently available in an early access program.
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With Android 16, Google is continuing its work to overhaul how Android apps advertise to users in a privacy-preserving way. Google didn't share how the Privacy Sandbox on Android module has actually changed in Android 16, only that the update "incorporates the latest version" of the module, so we'll have to wait and see if there's anything actually interesting in it.
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A new API to differentiate minor releases
Apps have long been able to tell what version of Android they're running on by checking the SDK_INT constant, which in the case of Android 16 will be "36" on release. (It's "BAKLAVA" until the Platform Stability milestone.)
Since Google will release new APIs in the upcoming Q4 minor release of Android, apps need an easy way to tell when those APIs are available to use. To do that, apps need a way to differentiate devices that are running Android 16 and whatever the Q4 2025 release of Android will be called. That's why Google is introducing a new SDK_INT_FULL constant that can be compared against the new VERSION_CODES_FULL enumeration to check whether the device is running a major or minor version of Android.
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Alternatively, developers can use the Build.getMinorSdkVersion() method to retrieve the minor SDK version, which for Android 16 will just be "0" while for the Q4 2025 release will be "1."
Android 16 is ... Baklava?
By the way, if you're wondering what Android 16's dessert-themed codename is, it's Baklava. Considering the codenames for Android 11 through 15 are Red Velvet Cake, Snow Cone, Tiramisu, Upside Down Cake, and Vanilla Ice Cream respectively, you might think it's odd for Google to circle back around on the alphabet and choose a dessert that starts with the letter 'B'. The reason is related to a little known project within Google called "Android trunk stable," as explained by Seang Chau, VP and GM of the Android Platform.
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And that's it. Android 16 Developer Preview 1 doesn't have a lot of high-profile new features because it's only the first preview and meant for app developers. We'll probably see more flashy new features in Android 16 Beta 1 and beyond, as that's when Google wants regular users to try the update.
How to install the Android 16 developer preview
The Android 16 developer preview is not intended to be installed by regular users, which is why Google isn't making an update available through the Android Beta program. Instead, you'll have to manually install Android 16 Developer Preview 1 on a compatible Pixel device. Fortunately, Google makes it quite easy to manually install Google Pixel updates through its Flash Tool, so if you need to install DP1 on your Pixel device, you shouldn't struggle to do so.
A word of caution, though: Just because you can install Android 16 DP1 on your device doesn't mean you should. Developer preview builds aren't considered stable (duh), but unlike beta builds, they aren't tested nearly as thoroughly by Google themselves before release. That means a lot of your favorite apps or features might break as they haven't been built for the latest version yet.
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Furthermore, if you're currently running Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 on your Pixel device and want to try Android 16 Developer Preview 1 without wiping your data, you're out of luck. This is because Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 is technically a newer build than Android 16 DP1, so you can't install Android 16 DP1 on top of it without wiping your device. Google recommends that you avoid installing the upcoming Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2 release if you want to transition to Android 16 DP2 without wiping your device.
If you're aware of these caveats and want to proceed with installing Android 16 DP1 on your Pixel device anyways, then you can do so by clicking one of the following links on your PC:
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These links will open the Android Flash Tool page for installing Android 16 DP1. You'll be prompted to install the Android USB driver if your PC doesn't already have it. You'll then need to follow some steps to set up ADB access on your phone so the Android Flash Tool can communicate with it. Then, just connect your device to your PC, select it from the device list, and you should be good to go.
Related How to use ADB or Android Flash Tool to manually install Google Pixel updates
You have plenty of choices if you don't want to wait it out
Before you click "install build," though, be sure to click the pencil to edit the install options. If you don't want to wipe your device, uncheck "wipe device." If you don't want the tool to lock the bootloader, then uncheck "lock bootloader." If you're going to install an unstable build like Android 16 DP1, though, I recommend unlocking the bootloader so you can more easily recover from future flashing errors. Once the Android 16 Beta program kicks off next year, though, you can safely lock the bootloader using the tool.
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After you manually install the first Android 16 developer preview, you will automatically get future Android 16 updates over-the-air, including the next developer preview and future betas.
Lastly, if you don't have a compatible Pixel device to install Android 16 DP1 on, then you can still try it out through the Android Emulator in Android Studio. Google recommends installing its latest Android Studio feature drop release (version Ladybug) for the best development experience.
Related Android 16 leaks and rumors: Everything we've been hearing about Google's next release
Move over, Android 15
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