Tim
Google announced a shift in its Android release timeframe this morning, with it confirmed that users can now expect to see a major Android release take place in Q2 of 2025. That’s a big shift forward compared to what we’ve gotten used to from the folks in Mountain View.
Specifically, Google detailed in its blog post that was catered more towards Android developers, that the shift is taking place to help facilitate new device launches and ensuring new phones come preloaded with the latest software. Unlike what we saw with the Pixel 9 series recently.
Next year, we’ll have a major release in Q2 and a minor release in Q4, both of which will include new developer APIs. The Q2 major release will be the only release in 2025 to include behavior changes that can affect apps. We’re planning the major release for Q2 rather than Q3 to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner.
Here’s the Android SDK timeline for 2025.
Google mentions that the Q4 “minor release” will include feature updates, optimizations, and bug fixes following the major release in Q2. However, developers can rest assured that it will not include any app-impacting behavior changes, while still including new APIs.
From the beginning of April to the end of June, we are officially on Android 16 watch. We’ll update you as we learn more.
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