Android 16 release date confirmed by Google: Find out when you’ll get the update

Google usually releases new Android software updates in 3 or 4 quarters of each year. To put things into perspective, the last time Google didn’t release a new Android update in the last three months of the year was with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in 2012.

When will Android 16 be released?

The major release of Android 16 will happen in the second quarter of 2025, and another minor release will happen in the fourth quarter of 2025. Google says the major release “will include behavioral changes that may affect apps.” Meanwhile, the minor Q4 release will include “feature updates, optimizations and bug fixes after the major release.” Google specifically states that the minor update will not include any “changes that affect the app’s behavior.”

Google says the move from Q3 to Q2 for the Android 16 launch is to “better align with the launch schedule of devices in our ecosystem so that more devices can receive a major Android release sooner.”

While Google hasn’t officially made any announcements, many expect that the change in schedule for Andorid 16 could help bring the latest updates to all Android devices faster, not just Pixel phones. Even this year, OEMs like Vivo and iQOO got ahead of Google when they launched the latest version of FuntouchOS 15 even before the Pixel 9 series, and the trend is rumored to continue next year.

Meanwhile, the previous release also more or less confirms that Google plans to stick to the August release cycle for new Pixel devices like this year.

Milestone Notification!
Livemint tops the charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here know more

3.6 million Indians visited in one day, choosing us as India’s undisputed platform for general election results. Check out the latest updates here!

Posted: November 1, 2024, 10:07 am EST