For the last decade or so, Google has released major Android updates in the fall after an extended developer and beta preview process, but for 2025, that’s changing. Now, Google is planning its major release, which we expect will be Android 16, for Q2 instead of Q3, confirming a recent report from Android Authority.
The announcement says this will “better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner.” Other changes Google is talking about today include improvements to the Play Store, where users can share preferences for better recommendations on new apps the way they already could for games, and in development, where Google is adding more Gemini AI features to “write, refactor, and document” code in Android apps.
Image: Google
The new update schedule addresses a problem with Android’s ecosystem we’ve been discussing since at least 2016, with third-party phones waiting months or longer to get the latest updates. Sure, Google Pixel phones have been first up for the latest releases, but what about everyone else? A new schedule could make it easier for more manufacturers to release new devices with the latest capabilities available on day one instead of waiting for future updates to add things like Circle to Search.
In the new pattern, Google is telling developers that there will be a major release in Q2, along with a minor SDK release in Q4 that’s more like the current quarterly releases that add new features without changing the underlying systems as much. It will mean shifting compatibility testing forward, but the other benefit is that apps could have reasons to support new features — iPhone Live Activities-like ongoing notifications, for example — because more devices will be able to use them right away.
source https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/31/24284665/android-16-release-schedule-q2-2025