Android 16 developer preview 1 has been launched by Google on Pixel devices three months earlier than usual.
The goal of Google is to launch the latest Android version onto more devices sooner, as Google wants to “better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem.”
“Android 16 will bring some changes, like enabling users to give apps access to a selected number of photos and videos in their phone library if they prefer, rather than everything. Also, the new OS will bring improvements to health record syncing across apps and devices, with user permission”, as said by Google.
What’s new in Android 16 developer preview 1?
This preview is mainly aimed at developers, by which developers get a chance to make their apps ready for the full release of Android 16.
Here is a list showing what’s new in first Android 16 developer preview:
System Photo Picker Enhancements: a more integrated photo picking experience will be offered by apps, which makes it feel like a natural part of the app while still maintaining strong privacy protections.
Health Connect with FHIR Support: The upgraded feature will allow health and fitness apps to read and write medical records of users in the FHIR format.
Privacy Sandbox Updates: For enhancing user privacy and control over data, Privacy Sandbox will be refined and updated by Android 16.
7-Day Permission History in Privacy Dashboard: Privacy Dashboard expanded to 7 days for history of app access to your location, camera, and microphone by Android 16 that gives a more comprehensive view of the user’s privacy.
Audio Sharing: Android 16 DP1 shows that the audio sharing will finally work in Android devices that allow users to share audio with other devices using Bluetooth LE Audio.
Notification Cooldown: This feature will help users by temporarily lowering the volume and minimizing alerts of notifications to give a break.
Google has already released the timeline of the Android 16 release, now this first developer preview will be followed by the second developer preview coming next month and beta releases starting in January.
Platform stability of Android 16 is expected in March 2025 with Beta 3, and then the final release should happen late in Q2—likely in June after Google I/O 2025 has elapsed.
