The following main replace is coming quickly

Google is shaking issues up a bit for the discharge of Android 16. Whereas we usually see a brand new model of Android within the third quarter of the yr, 2025 will mark the start of a brand new annual launch goal. The tech large is shifting the launch of the following main OS replace up by 1 / 4, that means the launch will now be planted firmly in Q2. Because of this, Android 15’s cycle will probably be reduce brief by a couple of months.

When Google revealed that Android 16 would come prior to anticipated, it stunned everybody. So, you might be questioning when the following main OS will debut. Right here’s what we all know in regards to the Android 16 launch date.

The steady launch of Android 16 remains to be months away, so Android 15 nonetheless has some room to breathe. Nonetheless, if you wish to give Android 16 a attempt earlier than anybody else, the OS has formally entered QRP1.

The provision of the Quarterly Platform Launch 1 implies that builders and early adopters on the beta program can now set up a really early launch of the OS. This leads as much as the ultimate launch, which is now formally confirmed for June. You’ll be able to try the beforehand launched timeline beneath to see the place all the things falls.

Though Google hasn’t shared the precise date for the steady launch exterior of a launch month, a leak suggests Android 16 might be prepared by June 3. This report claims that Google will probably be able to roll out Android 16 on the date, concurrently delivering the supply to AOSP and releasing updates for Pixel units. Remember the fact that this date might be pushed again if Google occurs to run right into a snag throughout growth.

Notably, we first recognized the potential for an April to June launch in October 2024 by recognizing a line inside AOSP‘s Compatibility Definition Doc, which referred to the following model of Android as “25Q2.” This doc outlines the minimal necessities for Android smartphones to be eligible for the most recent model of the OS.

A remark on the Android Gerrit revealed that Android 16 Beta 3 will roll out on March 12. After all, it’s a day late however it’s right here.

Curiously, the final model of Android that arrived sooner than August was Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in 2012. So sure, Android has beforehand arrived earlier than August, however not inside the final 12 years.

Milestones

• November 19, 2024 — Developer Preview 1
• December 18, 2024 — Developer Preview 2
• January 23, 2025 — Beta 1
• February 13, 2025 — Beta 2
• March 13, 2025 — Beta 3 (Platform Stability)
• April 17, 2025 — Beta 4
• Could 13, 2025 — Beta 4.1
• Could 20, 2025 — QRP1 launch
• June 2025 — Secure launch

There are a number of sensible causes for Google accelerating Android 16’s launch.

For one, it permits the corporate to higher sync the OS’s launch with its personal smartphone {hardware} launch. Because of its earlier debut, the Pixel 9 launched with Android 14 and solely acquired Android 15 a couple of months after its launch. This made it a much less engaging prospect than earlier releases. Nonetheless, there’s now an excellent likelihood the Pixel 10 sequence will land with Android 16.

This isn’t only a professional for Google, both. A June 2025 arrival brings the brand new model of Android nearer to OEMs that launch their units earlier within the yr.

As outlined by Google’s 2025 growth timeline above, the corporate has a extra outlined quarterly launch cycle within the pipeline, with a serious launch (Android 16 launch window) in Q2, bookended by function releases in Q1 and Q3. A minor SDK launch, with APIs and options that’ll inform the next model of Android, arrives in This autumn. This could quicken the OS’s growth cycle whereas offering the identical predictability for OEMs.

As for the steady model of the OS, and with Google separating its Pixel smartphone launch from its Android model launch this yr, it’s not a certain factor that its telephones will obtain the most recent model of Android first. Whereas Google did announce Android 15’s availability for the Pixel sequence, some vivo units acquired the replace a full month prior. That is due to AOSP dropping a month earlier, permitting corporations to craft their iterations early.

Nonetheless, contemplating that Android 16 is now arriving 1 / 4 earlier in June, we count on the Pixel 10 to debut with the brand new OS. This enables extra producers to launch with or provide the Android 16 replace prior to ever earlier than.