Google could launch Android 16 earlier than its scheduled release

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The Pixel 9 series didn’t ship with the latest Android version out of the box, and the Android 15 update may take a few days to arrive on Pixel smartphones.

However, according to a new report, even if Google continues to release its latest flagships in August next year, the new Pixel series will most likely run on Android 16 out of the box. 

Evidence of Android 16’s early release pops up

According to Mishaal Rahman’s report for Android Authority, Android 16 could make an early debut, possibly in Q2 2025.

Google has published its OS versions near the end of the third quarter or the beginning of the fourth almost every year. For context, Google released Android 14 in October, Android 13 in August, Android 12 in October, and so on. 

The report links the change to Google’s adoption of a trunk-based Android development strategy, which is believed to be the reason why Google is ditching its 15-year-old alphabetical OS codenaming pattern.

Instead of making development branches for major releases, Google’s trunk-based development strategy enables developers to collaborate on a single, unified branch, potentially shortening release times.

The report also shares some secret references in Android 15’s Compatibility Definition Document (CDD), which suggests the release date for the next major Android version could be Q2 2025.

Following the adoption of the trunk-based Android development process, Google apparently began using dates to refer to Android releases.

For reference, the first trunk-based version, Android 14 QPR2, was internally known as 24Q1. Android 14 QPR3 was 24Q2, Android 15 was 24Q3, and upcoming Android 15QPR1 has 24Q4. 

The report reveals similar references to 25Q2 found in AOSP, with multiple Google developers commenting that it will be the next major Android release. It means that the next major Android version could arrive in 25Q2. Q2 corresponds to the months of April, May, and June.

Are you excited for Android 16? Do any of your devices have Android 15 yet, or are you still waiting on an update Tell us below in the comments, and stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for more.