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Android Mobile Development Previews

Android 16 Preview: What’s New, What’s Changed, and What Developers Need to Know

ASOasis Tech Private Limited
4 min read
#Android 16 #Developer Preview #Privacy Sandbox #Material 3 Expressive #Adaptive Refresh #AI Features
Android 16 Preview: What’s New, What’s Changed, and What Developers Need to Know

Table of Contents

Introduction

Android 16 Preview opens the door to the next generation of Android, introducing a major UI redesign, strengthened privacy controls, AI-driven experiences, and under-the-hood improvements for performance and battery life. Launched as part of Google’s revamped Developer Preview and Beta program, Android 16 lets developers test apps across devices—phones, foldables, tablets, Chromebooks, and more—before the final release in Q3 2025.

Release Timeline

  • Developer Preview 1 (November 2024)
    Kickstarted frequent API releases with faster innovation cycles, an embedded photo picker API, and new API level constants for modular updates.
  • Developer Preview 2 (December 2024)
    Added JobScheduler quota optimizations, predictive back gestures, richer haptics, adaptive refresh rate, and Health Connect updates to improve performance and battery life.
  • Android 16 Beta (April 2025)
    Opened public Beta on Pixel and partner devices, enabling broad compatibility testing with Material 3 Expressive and updated system APIs.
  • Quarterly Platform Release (QPR1) Beta (May 2025)
    Rolled out Material 3 Expressive refinements, new widget behaviors, and incremental quality-of-life tweaks ahead of the stable launch.

Major UI & Design Changes

Material 3 Expressive

Android 16 embraces Material 3 Expressive, a bolder, more dynamic theme language featuring:

  • A smaller At-a-Glance widget on Pixel home screens to free up space for more apps and widgets.
  • Background blur in Quick Settings panels and slimmed-down sliders for both volume and brightness.
  • Enhanced 3D parallax in Cinematic wallpapers and five new subject cut-out frames in the Shape wallpaper mode.

Android Desktop Mode

Building on Samsung DeX, Android 16 introduces a native desktop mode:

  • Resizable windows and a taskbar for Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, and more.
  • Adaptive UI that scales across foldables, tablets, and external displays.
  • First-party window-management APIs for seamless productivity experiences.

Privacy & Security Enhancements

Privacy Sandbox on Android

Android 16 integrates the latest Privacy Sandbox technologies:

  • WritingTools API lets users block unwanted AI-generated content in apps.
  • Phases out third-party cookies and cross-app tracking without compromising ad-funded business models.

Advanced Protection Mode

A new Advanced Protection Mode locks down side-loading and enforces stricter app verification to guard against untrusted installations.

AI & Smart Features

  • AI-Driven Weather Effects for wallpapers: automatically apply rain, snow, fog, or clear skies that reflect real-time local conditions.
  • Live Updates on Lock Screen, akin to iOS Live Activities, delivering real-time information on ride-sharing, deliveries, and sports scores.
  • Contextual Assistant Integrations leveraging on-device ML for faster voice and camera-based queries.

Performance & Battery Improvements

  • Adaptive Refresh Rate from 30 Hz to 120 Hz based on content, balancing smoothness and power savings.
  • JobScheduler Quota Optimizations to batch background work more efficiently, reducing battery drain.
  • System-Triggered Profiling to continuously tune app performance without developer intervention.

Developer APIs & Tools

Android 16 surfaces new and upgraded APIs:

  • Photo Picker embedded API for secure, on-device media access.
  • Health Connect enhancements for unified health data sharing.
  • Start Activity Info to detect app cold starts for smarter user onboarding.
  • Ranging with Enhanced Security enabling secure Bluetooth LE ranging in indoor-location apps.

Developers can reference the full API diff report and features & changes list on the Android 16 Preview site.

Testing & Compatibility

The Android 16 Preview program supports testing on:

  • Multiple device form factors: phones, foldables, tablets, Chromebooks.
  • Various CPU/GPU architectures: ARM, ARM64, x86, x86_64.
  • Network technologies: 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth LE.
  • Hardware features: NFC, UWB, LiDAR & depth sensing.

Use the Android Emulator with updated system images or flash supported Pixel/partner devices for real-world trials.

Conclusion

Android 16 Preview delivers a cohesive package of visual innovation, privacy-first design, AI-powered experiences, and developer-centric enhancements. Early adoption ensures your apps leverage the latest Material 3 Expressive theming, core privacy APIs, and performance optimizations before the Q3 2025 stable release.

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