Android 16 will be coming earlier than normal
Over the past few years, Google has typically released its major Android updates towards the later part of the year. Specifically speaking, the past three major Android updates have been released around Q3 of the year. That is expected to change with Android 16 as Google has confirmed we could see an earlier release.
In a post on the Android Developers blog, Google has confirmed that Android 16 will see a release in Q2. The company stopped short of mentioning when exactly in Q2, but that means we can expect to see it pushed out in April, May, or June of 2025. This is significantly earlier than expected.
“Next year, we’ll have a major release in Q2 and a minor release in Q4, both of which will include new developer APIs. The Q2 major release will be the only release in 2025 to include behavior changes that can affect apps. We’re planning the major release for Q2 rather than Q3 to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner.”
This is good news for Android users. This is because while Google themselves might release the latest version of Android, it can take handset manufacturers months to get on board and push the update out. In some cases, some OEMs only push out the update half a year after the official release, so it almost always feels like some devices are a year behind in terms of updates.
That being said, with the release being pushed up, we have to wonder if this could affect the quality of the release. Presumably with the timeline being moved up, Google will have to work faster and there is less time between testing, which could potentially lead to issues and bugs upon the final release. Either way, it’s something we’ll have to wait and see.