Release notes

Developer Preview 1

Release date	November 19, 2024
Build	BP21.241018.009
Emulator support	x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
Security patch level	November 2024
Google Play services	24.40.35
API diff	API 35 → B DP1

About Android 16 Developer Preview 1

Welcome to the Android 16 Developer Preview! This first release is for developers only, to help with early development, testing, and feedback. Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is an early baseline build that's still in active development, so the Android system and apps running on it might not always work as expected.

As with previous versions, Android 16 includes system changes. In some cases, these changes can affect apps until they are updated to support Android 16, so you might see impacts ranging from minor issues to more significant limitations. In general, most apps will work as expected, as will most APIs and features, but please review any known issues listed on this page to get a better idea of what to expect.

What's new in Developer Preview 1

Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is the start of Android having more frequent API releases as part of our effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices.

Two Android API releases in 2025

• This preview is for the next major release of Android with a planned launch in Q2 of 2025. This release is similar to all of our API releases in the past, where we can have planned behavior changes that are often tied to a targetSdkVersion.
• We're planning the major release a quarter earlier (Q2 rather than Q3 in prior years) to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner. With the major release coming in Q2, you'll need to do your annual compatibility testing a few months earlier than in previous years to make sure your apps are ready.
• We plan to have another release in Q4 of 2025 which also will include new developer APIs. The Q2 major release will be the only release in 2025 to include planned behavior changes that could affect apps.

In addition to new developer APIs, the Q4 minor release will pick up feature updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; it will not include any app-impacting behavior changes.

We'll continue to have quarterly Android releases. The Q1 and Q3 updates in-between the API releases will provide incremental updates to help ensure continuous quality. We're actively working with our device partners to bring the Q2 release to as many devices as possible.

Using new APIs with major and minor releases

Guarding a code block with a check for API level is done today using the SDK_INT constant with VERSION_CODES. This will continue to be supported for major Android releases.

if (SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.BAKLAVA) {
  // Use APIs introduced in Android 16
}

The new SDK_INT_FULL constant can be used for API checks against both major and minor versions with the new VERSION_CODES_FULL enumeration.

if (SDK_INT_FULL >= VERSION_CODES_FULL.[MAJOR or MINOR RELEASE]) {
  // Use APIs introduced in a major or minor release
}

You can also use the Build.getMinorSdkVersion() method to get just the minor SDK version.

val minorSdkVersion = Build.getMinorSdkVersion(VERSION_CODES_FULL.BAKLAVA)

These APIs have not yet been finalized and are subject to change, so please send us feedback if you have any concerns.

Note: There's no change to the target API level requirements and the associated dates for apps in Google Play; our plans are for one annual requirement each year, and that will be tied to the major API level.

Embedded photo picker

The photo picker provides a safe, built-in way for users to grant your app access to selected images and videos from both local and cloud storage, instead of their entire media library. Using a combination of Modular System Components through Google System Updates and Google Play services, it's supported back to Android 4.4 (API level 19). Integration requires just a few lines of code with the associated Android Jetpack library.

The developer preview includes new APIs that enable apps to embed the photo picker into their view hierarchy. This allows it to feel like a more integrated part of the app while still leveraging the process isolation that allows users to select media without the app needing overly broad permissions. To maximize compatibility across platform versions and simplify your integration, you'll want to use the forthcoming Android Jetpack library if you want to integrate the embedded photo picker.

Health records

The developer preview of Health Connect contains an early version of APIs supporting health records. This allows apps to read and write medical records in FHIR format with explicit user consent. This API is in an early access program. Sign up to be part of our early access program.

Privacy Sandbox on Android

Android 16 incorporates the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android, part of our ongoing work to develop technologies where users know their privacy is protected. Our website has more about the Privacy Sandbox on Android developer beta program to help you get started. Check out the SDK Runtime which allows SDKs to run in a dedicated runtime environment separate from the app they are serving, providing stronger safeguards around user data collection and sharing.

How to get Developer Preview 1

You can install this release on any of the following Google Pixel devices:

• Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
• Pixel 6a
• Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
• Pixel 7a
• Pixel Fold
• Pixel Tablet
• Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
• Pixel 8a
• Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold

See Get Android 16 for details on how to get started.

Remember to update your SDK and the Android Emulator as well before you try out the latest features and changes. The best way to do this is using the SDK Manager in the latest preview version of Android Studio.

Depending on your development and testing needs, you can also get Android 16 in the following ways:

• Get Android 16 on the Android Emulator

General advisories

Be aware of these general advisories about the release:

• This release might have various stability, battery, or performance issues.
• For users with accessibility needs, this release might not be appropriate for daily use.
• Some apps might not function as expected when running on this release. This limitation includes Google's apps as well as other apps.
• Android 16 Developer Preview builds aren't Compatibility Test Suite (CTS)-approved, but they have passed preliminary testing and provide a stable set of pre-release APIs for developers. Apps that depend on CTS-approved builds or use SafetyNet APIs might not work normally on Android 16 Developer Preview builds.

Get support

Two primary support channels are available to you when developing and testing with Developer Preview . The channel you should use to get support depends on where you are encountering your issue.

• Support for device-specific issues, system issues, and issues with Google apps: Use the Issue Tracker to create new issues and to view and track issues that you and other developers have submitted.

  Before creating your own issue, check the known issues listed on this page and search the lists of top open issues and recently created issues to see if someone else has already reported it. You can subscribe and vote for an issue by clicking star this issue .

  See Where to report issues to find an issue template that best matches the type of issue that you are encountering.

• Support for issues with other apps: Contact the app developer directly.

To discuss issues or ideas with other developers working with the Android 16 Developer Preview, join the android_beta community on Reddit.

Known issues

Based on our testing, you might encounter the following issues when using Android 16 Developer Preview 1. These issues are already known, so there's no need to file additional reports for similar issues.

Android platform

• Tapping an ongoing media notification sometimes fails to launch the corresponding app.
• On some devices, the camera screen sometimes flashes if the zoom level is adjusted while recording video.