Android 16: Google shows off new features

The American technology company released the first preview version of Android 16. Major operating system updates bring new features and speed up update cycles.

Marcel Hozenek/t-online

Google unexpectedly released the first developer preview of Android 16. This means future Android versions should roll out faster.

The move comes just weeks after the release of Android 15 on Pixel devices, while many smartphone users from other manufacturers are still waiting for the update.

As the company announced in a blog post, the first so-called developer preview of Android 16 is primarily aimed at developers to get their apps adapted to the new interface early. Nonetheless, the preview version already offers some new features that users can look forward to.

What features does Android 16 offer?

New features are more user-friendly

A major innovation is this Embed photo selectionwhich allows you to select photos directly within the application without opening a separate window. This not only improves usability, but also protects user privacy, as access can be limited to individual photos.

Another function is this Support medical data in FHIR format. The Health Connect application allows users to read and write medical data with consent. The feature is similar to the Apple Health app on iPhone and could open up new possibilities for health apps.

Google is also developing a Improve privacy Android 16 could be the long-awaited one Audio sharing function introduce. This will spread the sound from one device across multiple Bluetooth headphones, which is great for listening to music or watching movies together on the go.

Furthermore, this will Notification system Modified: The new “Notification Cooling” feature is designed to collect notifications and display them regularly to avoid overwhelming users with messages.

When will Android 16 come?

In the first developer preview, Google also showed off the further development roadmap for Android 16. Therefore, a second developer preview will be launched in December 2024, followed by four public betas from January 2025.

The final version should appear in May or June at the latest – Aligned with Google I/O, the annual developer conference. So far, major Android releases have only been released in the fall. The new schedule is designed to better align with device makers' release cadence, particularly Google's own line of Pixel smartphones.

Interested developers can download and test the preview version now. Regular users should avoid installing it as the software may still be unstable and not optimized for daily use.

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(t-online/dsc)

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