Google is expected to launch Android 16 much earlier this year, a move that the Mountain View company hopes to repeat in the coming years. Typically, a new version of Android is released every year in Q3, but Google announced that Android 16 will be rolled out in Q2.
The search giant revealed months ago that Android 16 will be launched in the first week of June, but the exact date remains a mystery at the moment. In an interview with Android Police, Google’s President of the Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, confirmed that Android 16 remains on track for that June release that we’ve been promised.
Also, Samat explained why Google is able to release Android 16 several months earlier in 2025 and why it wasn’t possible before. According to him, Google is now using Trunk Stable development for Android 16.
Trunk Stable development means that everyone working on Android is contributing to the same branch of code. We can build the entire system more regularly and more often. That’s opposed to all working on different branches, and then we merge them all at the end. Then we need a lot of time to work out problems and challenges.
– Sameer Samat, Google President of the Android Ecosystem, March 2025
Samat went on to say that the multiple teams working on a new Android release would meet in June to bring together all the different branch codes and see what needs to be ironed out.
It would then take Google’s engineers several months from June to address all the issues, which forced the company to delay the launch of a major Android update until later in the year.
Another reason that Google’s strategy to release a new version of Android much earlier is working now is that the search giant is tackling smaller updates in a different way. The monthly “feature drop” updates bring meaningful changes that haven’t been part of the main Android release, and that’s probably going to happen in the future too.
When we have new capabilities, the decision is always between do we hold this for an operating system release, or do we give it to people on a more quarterly cadence with Android drops. We’ve gotten a great response to Android drops because it feels like your phone is always getting better.
– Sameer Samat, Google President of the Android Ecosystem, March 2025
Finally, Samat promised that Google will provide more in-depth details about major releases like Android 16, a change that will address the thirst for knowledge that many Android fans tend to have after every big release.
Usually, Google only highlights the most important changes a major Android update brings, leaving the rest to its hardcore fans to discover. Thankfully, that’s about to change if Google keeps its promise.
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Cosmin, a tech journalist with a career spanning over a decade, brings a wealth of experience to PhoneArena. His expertise lies in brands like Samsung and Nokia, and he has a keen interest in innovative technologies. After a brief stint in PR, Cosmin returned to tech journalism in 2016, committed to delivering clear and objective news. When he's not writing or appearing as a guest on TV and radio shows, Cosmin enjoys playing RPGs, watching Netflix, and nurturing his passion for history and travel.
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