Android 16 is Already Here as Developer Preview 1 for Pixel Devices

We knew it was coming earlier than ever, but I’m not sure I even expected this early of an Android 16 release, yet here we are. Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is now available to supported Pixel devices, which means an early holiday present for all of the tinkerers in the building who want to see what’s next from Google.

For this first preview of Android 16, Google hasn’t publicly revealed much about it. In fact, there are only 3 changes mentioned in their write-up and those include changes to the photo picker, APIs that support health records in Health Connect, and the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox. I have a feeling there is much more in-store, but we’ll need to get this first DP1 up and running to find it all.

Mostly, this Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is about announcing the arrival of an earlier release schedule that Google says is a part of their “effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices.” This means a release of Android 16 to all in Q2 of 2025 rather than the end of Q3. Google also believes this timeline lines up better to when devices launch in the ecosystem and should get new versions of Android on your devices sooner.

The plan is to kick things off with this first developer preview, ship another Developer Preview in December, and then switch over to Android 16 Beta releases from January through April before it goes stable. We have more on the Android 16 schedule here.

How to install Android 16 Developer Preview 1: For those of you interested in testing out Android 16 Developer Preview 1, there are some things to be aware of. For many of you, installing will require the simple flashing of a factory image, while some (like me) will have to factory reset before doing so. The latest Android 15 beta build does not transition to Android 16 at the moment.

Here is the build info for this DP1 release:

Release date: November 19, 2024
Build: BP21.241018.009
Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
Security patch level: November 2024
Google Play services: 24.40.35

Here are some notes before you begin:

1. The list of Pixel devices eligible for Android 16 testing are – Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 8a, 8, 8 Pro, Pixel 7a, 7, 7 Pro, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 6a, 6, 6 Pro
2. You can find factory images to flash this first build here.
3. The OTA images for Android 16 can be found here.
4. If you are on Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1, you will have to factory wipe/reset your Pixel device in order to run Android 16 DP1. Google recommends that you “first opt-out your device from the Beta program and take the downgrade to the public build, before flashing the Android 16 Developer Preview build.“
5. Android 16 Beta Program is not open just yet, but should be around January.

We’ll get this up and running and report back shortly!

// Android Developers