Android 16 Features, Devices, Release Date & More

The post Android 16 Features, Devices, Release Date & More appeared first on Android Headlines.

Jun 11, 2025 - 00:50

Android 16 has arrived. At first glance, this update may not seem big. It isn’t getting a redesign yet. However, it still brings nice quality of life improvements.

With Android 16, you’re getting new features like desktop windowing, Live Updates, and much more. In this article, we are aiming to tell you everything you need to know about this version of Android. From its codename, down to what devices currently have the update.

What will they call Android 16?

Unfortunately, Google has stopped using the dessert names publicly for new versions of the Android OS. However, they are still used internally. And Android 16 is called “Baklava”.

This does differ from Google’s past naming for versions of Android, as it typically goes to the next letter in the alphabet, and Android 15 was Vanilla Ice Cream. Here’s what the recent Android versions were named, internally.

Android 10 – Quince Tart
Android 11 – Red Velvet Cake
Android 12 – Snow Cone
Android 13 – Tiramisu
Android 14 – Upside Down Cake
Android 15 – Vanilla Ice Cream
Android 16 – Baklava

When will Android 16 be released?

Google originally had planned to release Android 16 on June 3, 2025. However, some delays pushed the launch back a week to June 10, 2025.

As you can tell from the timeline below, Google has drastically moved up the release date. For most years, the next version of Android has launched in Q3, and here we are looking at Q2. This is part of Google’s revamp of its schedule, which started with the Pixel 9 series launching last August instead of October. This means that phones coming out this Fall should have Android 16 right away. This includes Samsung’s new foldable phones launching next month.

Android 16 – June 2025
Android 15 – October 2024
Android 14 – October 2023
Android 13 – August 2022
Android 12 – October 2021
Android 11 – September 2020
Android 10 – September 2019

Android 16 QPR1

At Google I/O, the company launched the first beta of the Quarterly Platform Release for Android 16. This happened before the stable version of Android 16 began to roll out. This QPR1 has the new Material 3 Expressive redesign that Google has been touting lately.

We usually get 2-3 betas for each QPR release. This time, the beta cycle should be shorter than the full Android 16 launch.

Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 – Released on May 20, 2025
Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1.1 – Released on June 4, 2025

What’s the developer preview and beta schedule?

Google is keeping the same developer preview and beta schedule as in past years. They are only moving it up a few months. So we’re looking at two developer previews, followed by four public betas, and then the stable launch in June. Here’s the schedule so far:

Android 16 Developer Preview 1 – November 19, 2024
Android 16 Developer Preview 2 – December 28, 2024
Android 16 Beta 1 – January 23, 2025
Android 16 Beta 2 – February 13, 2025
Android 16 Beta 2.1 – February 27, 2025
Android 16 Beta 3 – March 13, 2025
Android 16 Beta 3.1 – March 18, 2025
Android 16 Beta 3.2 – April 2, 2025
Android 16 Beta 4 – April 17, 2025
Android 16 Stable Release – June 10, 2025

What devices will get Android 16?

We can’t say for sure which devices will get Android 16. However, we do know some devices will get updates. This is especially true for Pixel devices. Google announced last year that it would add another year of support for the Pixel 6 series. This means the support is the same as Android 15.

Pixel 6
Pixel 6 Pro
Pixel 6a
Pixel 7
Pixel 7 Pro
Pixel 7a
Pixel Fold
Pixel Tablet
Pixel 8
Pixel 8 Pro
Pixel 8a
Pixel 9
Pixel 9 Pro
Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro Fold

We also know that the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25 series will get Android 16. Samsung announced that One UI 8, based on Android 16, will launch with new foldable phones in July. We expect it to be available for older devices soon after.

What features does Android 16 bring?

These days, new Android versions don’t bring many user-facing features. A lot of the changes are going to be under the hood and for developers with the APIs. But this year, we do have a few features that users will notice, like Live Updates and a new Embedded Photo Picker

Live Updates

In Android 16 Beta 1, Google introduced Live Updates, and yes this sounds just like Apple’s Live Activities. That’s essentially what this is. It’s a new classification of notifications that allow users to monitor and access important ongoing activities. These updates are going to be great for apps like GrubHub, Uber, Google Maps, Instagram, etc.

Developers can use this new notification style to show states and milestones in a user’s journey with a progress bar. You can see Live Updates with the new Android 16 beta and the latest Google Maps update. This update will show your status in the status bar while you navigate.

Notification Auto Grouping

Google is also now forcing apps to automatically group notifications together. This is going to help reduce information overload and clean up that notification shade a bit.

Enhanced Productivity for Tablets

Google worked with Samsung to develop its own desktop windowing feature, which is now debuting on Android 16. This is a new way to interact with your apps and content on large-screen devices. Now, you can open, move, and resize multiple app windows on a single screen. This is particularly useful for larger devices like foldables and tablets.

Advanced Protection

In Android 16, you can now activate Advanced Protection, which is Google’s strongest mobile device protection. This provides strong security features for your device. These features protect you from online attacks, harmful apps, unsafe websites, scam calls, and more.

When will my phone get Android 16?

Google Pixel devices will start getting the Android 16 update today, June 10, 2025. As for other manufacturers, those updates will start to roll out over the coming months.

We do know that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 will launch with Android 16 and One UI 8 next month. So other Samsung devices shouldn’t be far behind. OnePlus and OPPO should roll out Oxygen OS 16 and Color OS 16 fairly soon as well.

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