Android 16 has reached platform stability and is speculated to be rolled out in June 2025.
Google Pixel smartphones will likely be the first devices in the market to receive Android 16
Photo Credit: Google
Google on Thursday rolled out the Android 16 Beta 4 to developers and testers. Initially available on Pixel devices, the latest testing version of Google's smartphone operating system arrives with fixes for several issues that were reported by developers and users in the previous update. This includes rectifications related to excessive power drain, delayed haptic feedback, and Pixel Weather app issues. With the fourth beta of Android 16, the Mountain View-based tech giant has expanded the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) support and now more brands can make it available for their respective devices.
According to Google's release notes, Android 16 Beta 4 is the second major platform stability release which means the developer APIs and all the app-facing behaviours in the OS are final. It reached platform stability in March, allowing developers to integrate new features with their applications ahead of the anticipated Q2 2025 release.
The fourth beta fixes an issue which caused the radar map to disappear in the Pixel weather app. It includes a fix for problems resulting in impacted haptic performance or delayed haptic feedback. Users reported that in some cases, the vibrations felt "empty" or "plastic". Meanwhile, a battery drain issue was also reported, with the handset losing nearly 11 percent of the charge overnight, as opposed to the usual 5-7 percent drain in a period of seven hours. This has also been fixed.
Google says the Android 16 Beta 4 update arrives with other fixes too. This includes an issue which caused the phone to restart when answering a call, magnification was enabled, or when the ranging API was used. There are also patches for other bugs that impacted the system stability and performance, including the launcher crashing in some cases.
The latest Android 16 Beta also expands the availability of the update for OEMs.
Google's Android 16 Beta Partners
Photo Credit: Google
Brands such as Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, and Xiaomi can tailor the OS for their handsets, tablets, and foldable form factor devices. As per Google, it plans a major SDK release in Q2 2025 with behaviour changes, APIs, and features, while a minor release with API changes and features is on the cards for a Q4 2025 launch.
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