Google has promised to release Android 16 early next year, and by the looks of it, they are doing their best to meet that deadline. It has only been a month since we got our first glimpse of Android 16 in the first developer preview version, and now a second preview version has been released.

According to a Google blog post, the second Android 16 preview version is ready for developers to test with their own apps. The issues this time around are an improved app experience, better battery life, and overall performance.

In short, this is a very “behind the scenes” kind of update, but it does give us some clues as to what Android 16 will offer when it arrives next year.

Android 16 developer preview 2: The biggest changes

Since this is a developer preview, the changes that this release brings to Android 16 are very technical and not the major features we will see once the beta version is released. However, there are some important and useful features that you should know about. However, there are some important changes that are useful to know about. The first is the addition of a new API to Android that will allow apps and developers to have more control over the amplitude and frequency of haptic feedback, minimizing the differences felt between different Android devices.

Another major benefit is improved adaptive refresh rate support, which first appeared in Android 15. the second developer preview of Android 16 will make it easier for apps to take advantage of adaptive refresh rates, while at the same time allowing developers to will also be provided with tools to configure the required refresh rate for their apps. Health Connect will also support activity intensity, and the API will be updated to support health records. Better control over refresh rates means less wasted power consumption and a better visual experience.

Google will also add support for cloud storage to the photo picker. This will allow apps to determine which images and videos they are allowed access to, regardless of whether they are stored on the device or in cloud storage. A search feature will also be added in the future, but has not yet been added.

Also related to security, more robust security features will be provided for any device that supports Wi-Fi 6's 802.11az. Google will allow apps to combine the accuracy, scalability, and dynamic scheduling of this protocol with other security enhancements, including AES-256 encryption. This would make it more secure to use proximity-based Wi-Fi in cases like unlocking a device.

This preview will also add a bonus to the Predictive Back feature. A new API will allow developers to add predictive back system animations when using gesture-based navigation.

Other new features include System Trigger Profiling in the Profiling Manager, Start Components, which allows Android to identify which component triggered the start of a new process, which tasks are pending in the background Android 16 also adds better job introspection to identify which tasks are still pending in the background and why. In addition, Android 16 adjusts the way jobs are executed based on various factors.

Google has confirmed that Android 16 will arrive in the second quarter of 2025. Rumor has it that it will be released in early June, but this has not yet been officially confirmed by Google.

What has been confirmed is that the first Android 16 beta will appear in January, three months earlier than the Android 15 beta release. The upgrade will then go into “Platform Stability” in March, and subsequent updates will focus on bug fixes rather than flashy new features. This means that subsequent updates will concentrate on bug fixes rather than flashy new features. This will continue through April, with the official release to follow.

Given that Google I/O will be held in May, it is likely that Google will announce more information about the stable release of Android 16 at the show. However, there is no guarantee, especially if Google runs into problems and is forced to delay the launch.

Google Pixel owners will be the first group to get Android 16, as they always do. Others will take longer, and who knows when they will get the upgrade; based on the Android 15 rollout, OnePlus will likely be one of the earliest adopters of Android 16. Samsung has been fairly speedy with upgrades in previous years, but the rollout of One UI 7 has suffered multiple delays, which does not bode well for One UI 8 and Android 16.