Google released the first developer preview of Android 16 on 19 November 2024, three months earlier than the February previews of the five releases before it. The reason was the launch date: Google moved the major release from Q3 to Q2 2025, “to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem”.
| Release date | 19 November 2024 |
| Build | BP21.241018.009 |
| Security patch | November 2024 |
| Devices | Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Fold, Tablet, 8, 8 Pro, 8a, 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold; 64-bit Android Emulator images |
| How to get it | Manual download only: flash a system image. Android Beta was not open |
| Platform stability | No; Google expected it in March 2025 |
The post announced two API releases in 2025. The Q2 major release would be
the only one with planned behaviour changes tied to targetSdkVersion. A Q4
minor release would add APIs, features and fixes, but no app-impacting
behaviour changes. To check for minor releases, DP1 previewed
SDK_INT_FULL, the VERSION_CODES_FULL enumeration and
Build.getMinorSdkVersion(), with the warning that they “have not yet been
finalized”. The Google Play target API requirement stayed one per year, tied
to the major API level.
The developer APIs in this build were few. Apps could embed the photo picker in their own view hierarchy, keeping its process isolation. Health Connect got an early-access API to read and write medical records in FHIR format. And the build carried the latest Privacy Sandbox on Android, including the SDK Runtime; Google retired the SDK Runtime and most other Privacy Sandbox technologies on 17 October 2025.
A Pixel already on the Android 15 QPR2 Beta 1 could not move to this preview without a wipe.