This could be the date when Google launches Android 16 – and here's what's coming

Mark your calendars

· TechRadar

News By David Nield published 5 November 2024

The Pixel 9 will be in line for an Android 16 upgrade (Image credit: Future)
  • An earlier launch for Android 16 was previously confirmed
  • Now we may have an exact date: June 3
  • The OS will be ready in plenty of time for the Pixel 10

We've recently heard rumors that Android 16 is going to be launching earlier in 2025 than we might have expected – and now a new leak goes further, putting an exact date on when Android 16 is going to launch.

This comes from sources speaking to Android Headlines, and the date in question is June 3, 2025 (a Tuesday). That fits in with what was previously rumored about the operating system making its debut in the second quarter of 2025 (April through June).

As you may have noticed, the rollout of Android 15 has been a bit disjointed. After being previewed in May, the core codebase was finalized in September, but it didn't start appearing on Pixel phones until the middle of October.

That meant the Google Pixel 9 series originally launched in August with Android 14 on board. Bringing Android 16 further forward in the year should mean it's fully finished and bug-free – in theory – by the time the Pixel 10 shows up.

What we know so far

The Galaxy S24 series will get Android 16 in the form of One UI 8 from Samsung (Image credit: Samsung)

June is still a good seven months away, but we've already got some idea about what Android 16 is going to bring with it – mostly through snippets of code in development that have been spotted hidden away in Android.

We're expecting to see an upgrade to the Do Not Disturb functionality, giving you additional control over how you can and can't be interrupted. Floating bubbles might also be more widely used for notifications on screen.

Another rumor has pointed to easier access to Android's highest level of security protection, via the Quick Settings panel. There's also been talk that Android 16 could change up the way you access Quick Settings too.

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