Hyderabad: Google has confirmed the early release of its next operating system. Unlike the latest version of the Android OS, the upcoming Android 16 will arrive in the second quarter of 2025. Notably, Google started the rollout of the Android 15 OS to Pixel devices in October.
The tech giant said that it is changing the release window to better align the OS with the scheduled of device launches across its ecosystem, allowing more devices to get the major release of Android sooner.
Following a features-only update in Q1 2025, the Android will get a major SDK release in Q2, upgrading the OS version to Android 16. The tech giant will proceed to another features-only update in Q3 2025 followed by a minor SDK release in Q4 2025.
Both the major and minor SDK releases for Android, set to arrive in Q2 and Q4 respectively, will include new developer APIs. While the Q2 major release will include behaviour changes that can affect apps, the Q4 release will pick up feature updates in addition to optimisations and bug fixes alongside new developer APIs. Notably, the Q4 minor update will not include app-impacting behaviour changes.
Meanwhile, Q1 and Q3 releases will provide incremental updates to help ensure continuous quality. "We’re actively working with our device partners to bring the Q2 release to as many devices as possible," Google said in a post published on Android Developers Blog.
Google says that it plans to collaborate closely with developers for the 2025 releases, offering quarterly updates for testing and feedback with OTA Beta releases for our early testers on Pixel and downloadable system images and tools for developers.
To recap, Google released the Pixel 9 series with Android 14 earlier this year. The phones were updated to Android 15 two months later in October. With an earlier Android 16 release, the Pixel 10 series in 2025 could run the latest OS out-of-the-box.
