Android 16 is on track for its June release, says Google’s Head of Android – Android Police

Android 16 is coming earlier in the year than any recent version of the software, and Google has confirmed it’s on track to hit its June release date. Speaking to Android Police at MWC 2025, Google‚Äôs President of the Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, confirmed the company is on track to meet its self-imposed target date.Samat said, ‚ÄúSo far, so good. I’ve never had a release where at this point the bug count was where I wanted it to be, but the team is working really hard, and we’re excited about getting it there.‚ÄùGoogle has given itself a June deadline for the new version of Android, which is currently mid-way through its second beta. In recent years, Google has released its latest version in August or later. It has often combined the launch of new software with the release of a flagship Pixel model, but it‚Äôs changing tact for 2025 for development reasons.Beta releases begin in JanuaryGoogle is aiming to release the software earlier this year because of development changes within the Android team. The company has begun using Trunk Stable development for the next version of Android.‚ÄúTrunk Stable development means that everyone working on Android is contributing to the same branch of code,‚Äù said Samat. ‚ÄúWe can build the entire system more regularly and more often. That‚Äôs opposed to all working on different branches, and then we merge them all at the end. Then we need a lot of time to work out problems and challenges.‚Äù‚ÄúOne of the reasons for the original release schedule is we would do that merge in June. Then it would take us from June until later in the year to work out all of those issues. And so one of the challenges we set ourselves internally is to see if we can get this out earlier.‚ÄùRevealed at MWC 2025Google has moved to a strategy of more consistent and regular releases for Android changes in recent years. Despite this, Samat says the numbered operating system releases are more important than ever to Google. “This year, we will do more to highlight what is in the release,” Samat said. “We know we have many fans around the world who want to understand more of the depth of it.‚Äù‚ÄúThere are also a lot of users that want functionality faster, and they want us to update more regularly. We have been modularizing and componentizing Android so that we can do that. There are some fundamental changes which can only happen with an operating system release, but there are other things where we’ve engineered Android such that a component can update more regularly.‚ÄúWhen we have new capabilities, the decision is always between do we hold this for an operating system release, or do we give it to people on a more quarterly cadence with Android drops. We‚Äôve gotten a great response to Android drops because it feels like your phone is always getting better.”
Android 16 Beta 2.1 is the most recent release from the company and is available on Pixel phones now. We expect to hear more about the final release of Android 16’s final software at

Google I/O 2025
that’s set for May 20. That will likely mean we hear about a final rollout for Android 16’s update, which is on track to release by the end of June. Android 16 could take center stageWe want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.Your comment has not been savedAndroid 16 i haven’t even got Andriid 15 yet i have Samsung S24 Ultra üôÑCrazy I have a pixel 8 pro and on android 16 beta 2.1 it’s not buggy at all but don’t see any improvements over android 15 also yeah it’s crazy my wife’s s24u no A 15 but my backup phone is a one plus 11 it has android 15 as of yesterday New features are hidden behind flags then turned on at stable release.Yet still no 15That’s your phone manufacturer’s fault, not google’sThe funny thing is.. no one, except Pixel users, will know what Android 16 is like until months (a year?) from now. Samsung for example, who used to be among the fastest with the monthly patches (at times faster than Pixel), haven’t even moved the S24U to Android 15.. which is absolutely ridiculous at this point. Hey Samsung, just skip 15 and move straight to 16. I’m on the Android 16 Beta 2 on all 3 of my Google Pixel 6a phones. I really don’t see a difference from the beta 15 I was on and these. You’ll have to mindfully take charge, at least for nowA Q2, 2025 release might be on the cardsNew screen-off fingerprint unlock feature is crazy fastIt’s not as easy as it should beWhile the new sideloading restrictions enhance security, they also limit legitimate use casesPlus new features for stock apps and non-US users

Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/android-16-is-on-track-for-june/