If you’re looking forward to Android 16, you might not have to wait as long as you were expecting.
Speaking to Android Police at Mobile World Congress, Google says the next version of Android is on track to arrive sometime in June.
Also: Android 16 Beta 2 now makes it easier to open Google Wallet on your Pixel – here’s how
If that seems ahead of the normal schedule, it is. For several years, Android has usually released its latest version in the fall, often coinciding with a new Pixel phone release. Google released Android 15 to the public on Oct. 15, 2024, and Android 14 on Oct. 4, 2023.
Things do appear to be ahead of the usual timeline. The first beta version of Android 16 was released on Jan. 24, and a second version was released on Feb. 14. The first Android 15 beta didn’t arrive until April last year.
What’s the rush?
The accelerated schedule is one Google imposed on itself. Sameer Samat, Google’s president of the Android ecosystem, told Android Police that it’s largely due to Trunk Stable, Android’s new development process that significantly improves how fast new features are created and tested for stability.
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“Trunk Stable development,” Samat said, “means that everyone working on Android is contributing to the same branch of code” instead of people working on different branches and merging at the end. The original release schedule always meant a June merge and a few months after that to work out all the remaining issues. “One of the challenges we set ourselves internally is to see if we can get this out earlier,” Samat added.
What’s new in Android 16?
We don’t know much about what Android 16 will bring, but we have caught some glimpses through the first two betas. Google has introduced Live Updates, a new class of notifications, made Google Wallet easier to access, rolled out support for the APV (Advanced Professional Video) codec, made several upgrades to the camera software, and more.
Given that Google I/O, its annual developer’s conference, is set for May 20 to 21, there’s a good chance we’ll hear more then.
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Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
