Android 16: Google holds 33 comments on the new version in June
Image: Google
Until now, August has been considered the release month for the latest Android version, often accompanied by the presentation of a new Pixel flagship. Now, Google has decided to break with this tradition and release Android 16 in June this year. There are several reasons for this.
This was confirmed by Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem at Google, to the Android Police at MWC 2025 currently taking place in Barcelona. Samat sees his team fully on schedule: “I have never had a publication in which the number of errors at that time was exactly where I wanted it,” Samat is quoted.
“Trunk Stable” should bring it all together
The reasons for this change can be found in the revised development structure of the Android team, particularly in the introduction of “Trunk Stable” development. In the future, all developers who participate in Android should work towards the same code branch, so that the time-consuming and time-consuming merging of different development branches at the end of the process is no longer necessary. So far this merge has been done in June so that the new version can be released in August. This time can now be saved by the new structure. Additionally, according to Samat, the entire system needs to be updated by changes made more and more frequently.
In recent years, Google has continually stepped up efforts for faster updates. “Project Treble” was already started by the modularization of Android in 2017, through which smartphone manufacturers in particular were able to deliver their updates more quickly. Additionally, more and more system components have been outsourced to play services over time so that Google can be updated directly through the Play Store. The current changes should also help provide easier and faster updates.
Major releases are still on point
Despite these innovations, Google does not want to lose sight of new major versions. “There are fundamental changes that can only take place with a new version of the operating system, but there are also many things that we can update as individual components more regularly,” explains Samat, now shared. The so-called “feature operation” with which Google releases new functions for Android every three months, instead of only introducing major changes with a new version of the operating system. This change would have arrived well with users, which should also not be surprising: the continuous new functions give the impression that their smartphone is regularly improving.
Android 16 with Beta 2.1 is currently still in the testing phase available for Pixel smartphones. More information about the final version of Android 16 is expected to be announced at Google I/O 2025 on May 20.
Topics: Android Android 16 Google Operating Systems MWC 2025 Smartphones Source: Android Police
Sarah tracks innovations in smartphones, evaluating their performance, design, and key features.
