Google has released the first beta for Android 16, arriving more than two months after Android 15's official release. As expected, the beta is rolling out to Pixel devices enrolled in the Android Beta Program. It introduces new features and improvements that may make it to the final release of Android 16 later this year.
One notable change is the removal of the ability for apps (excluding games) to restrict screen orientation and resizability on larger displays. Google explains:
On screens larger than 600dp wide, apps that target API level 36 will have app windows that resize; you should check your apps to ensure your existing UIs scale seamlessly, working well across portrait and landscape aspect ratios. We're providing frameworks, tooling, and libraries to help.
This adaptivity applies to apps targeting API level 36 (Android 16), though developers can opt out for now. In a future release, API level 37, this will become mandatory.
For developers, Android 16 introduces a new ProgressStyle notification template to improve consistency in Live Update notifications. This template includes support for progress tracking icons (start, end, and current), segments, milestones, and more.
Predictive back support has been expanded to 3-button navigation for apps that support it. Long-pressing the back button now triggers an animation previewing the previous page. This feature applies across all parts of the system that support predictive back.
Android 16 also brings support for the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. Developed by Samsung Electronics, this codec supports high bitrates, lossless quality, and other advanced features. Additionally, the EXTENSION_NIGHT_MODE_INDICATOR API has been added to help developers create apps with camera features that can toggle night mode.
Other key updates include:
- Vertical Text Support: This release lays the groundwork for vertical text rendering, essential for languages like Japanese. Developers can use the new VERTICAL_TEXT_FLAG in the Paint class, though higher-level APIs like TextView and Jetpack Compose’s Text do not yet support this.
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Accessibility Upgrades:
- Supplemental Descriptions: Developers can now add extra descriptions to ViewGroups without affecting child views’ labels, which is useful for components like dropdowns.
- Required Form Fields: The new setFieldRequired method helps identify mandatory form fields, streamlining navigation.
- RangingManager API: This API determines distance and angle between devices using BLE, Ultra-Wideband, or WiFi. It’s a useful addition for apps needing precise device positioning.
- ART Changes: The Android Runtime (ART) is receiving performance improvements, though apps relying on internal structures may break. Developers should avoid using non-SDK interfaces to maintain compatibility.
- Fixed Rate Task Scheduling: For apps targeting Android 16, missed scheduled tasks will now execute only once when the app is back in a valid lifecycle state. This change aims to improve performance.
- Ordered Broadcast Changes: Ordered broadcast priority is now limited to the same app process. Apps coordinating broadcasts across processes will need to adapt.
Here’s the release timeline for Android 16:
- Q1 2025: Features-only update focused on incremental improvements and quality.
- Q2 2025: Major release, including behavior changes, new APIs, and feature updates. This is the only 2025 release with app-impacting behavior changes.
- Q3 2025: Features-only update for further quality improvements.
- Q4 2025: Minor SDK release with new APIs, features, optimizations, and bug fixes, but no app-impacting behavior changes.
Android 16 is gradually taking shape. If you’re interested in testing it, remember it’s still in beta and may have bugs. It’s best to use a secondary device for testing. System images for Pixel devices are available here.
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