Android 16 Launch Set for Early 2025: Everything You Need to Know

Google is changing the release timeline of its mobile operating system starting with Android 16(codename Baklava) next year. The tech giant confirmed that Android 16 will be released early next year.

Google wants to align its OS release with device launch schedules across the Android ecosystem. This means that Android 16 will launch around Q2 of next year – a period between April and June. The change also means that Samsung’s upcoming foldables which launch around July will ship with Android 16 straight out of the box and upcoming Pixel devices will also follow suit.

It’s worth noting that Google announced the Pixel 9 devices earlier this year and came with Android 14 before the parent company rolled out Android 15.

With an early release, a minor update will be coming from Google to fix bugs, optimize features, and come with new feature updates – something like Android 16.1. Google plans to have more frequent Android SDK releases, with a major update expected in Q2 2025 and a minor one in Q4.

This new timeline may enhance update efficiency for app developers and device manufacturers, though its effect on new Android version adoption will be yet to be determined. This change in release strategy could allow users to get the latest Android features and updates on their devices quicker, raising questions about its impact on the Android ecosystem and the speed of new version adoption.

Google usually launches new Android versions around Q3 or Q4 – this can be traced to Android 4.1 which was released in July 2012. Android 1.1, Android 1.5, Android 2.2, and Android 3.0 were released in February 2009, April 2009, May 2010, and February 2011 respectively.

The new schedule means we will get Android 16 Developer Preview 1 before the year ends.

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