The latest update to Android 16 has arrived, marking the official end of Google’s annual release schedule. Compared to the major Android 16 launch in June, the new 16 QPR2 release is a smaller update that expands features for notifications, icons, calling screens, and more, and signals the beginning of Google’s long-awaited plans to release more frequent OS updates.
The accelerated release timeline addresses frustrations with Google’s previous annual update schedule, which caused relatively new third-party Android phones to wait months or longer to receive updates that were already available on the latest Pixel devices. Google announced the change in October 2024, saying that releasing more frequent platform updates would “help fuel faster innovation across apps and devices.”
These smaller biennial SDK releases will be the model going forward, along with bringing forward major releases – for example, Android 16 launched in Q2 instead of Q3 – and the usual quarterly Android feature updates. By moving to an earlier, more frequent release schedule for developer preview and general release rollouts, third-party phone makers will have more time to prepare their latest devices to launch with the latest version of Android. Google’s Pixel lineup will still be the first in line to receive the update, but that could mean other Android devices won’t be left behind, increasing the number of devices supporting the new features and giving developers more reasons to use them in their apps.
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