Android 16 development shifts to a faster gear

It looks like Google is shaking up its usual schedule for big Android updates. Traditionally, these major releases happen in the later part of the year, but there are hints, as observed by Android expert Mishaal Rahman, that Android 16 might arrive much earlier, possibly in the first half of 2025. This change seems to be tied to Google's recent switch to a new way of developing Android, aimed at making it more stable and easier to work on.

Historically, Google has launched new Android versions in August, September, or October. Android 15 just came out this month, while Android 14 arrived in early October last year. You'd have to go back to 2012 to find an Android version released outside this timeframe. This yearly cycle has given Google plenty of time to plan, build, and test new features for each update.

Thanks to better tools and infrastructure, creating and distributing new Android versions has become simpler over the years. However, one thing remained the same until recently: how Google's developers handled the core code of Android.

As explained by Rahman, earlier this year Google adopted a new development approach called "trunk-based development" to make Android more stable. In this model, all developers work on a single, main version of the code, using flags to decide which features are active in specific builds. This change has already shown positive results and might be the reason Google feels confident enough to release updates sooner.