Google will release Android 16 ahead of the usual deadline

Google announced that Android 16 will be released in the second quarter of 2025, which is several months earlier than usual. This early release is designed to improve the synchronization of updates within the Google ecosystem and speed up access to updates for more devices.

Samsung, in turn, will be able to start adapting Android 16 for its One UI 8.0 shell earlier, which will probably allow One UI 8.0 to be released as early as the third quarter of 2025, instead of the usual fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Samsung is finalizing One UI 7.0 based on Android 15. The update is expected to be one of the biggest for Galaxy users this year despite the delays.

Google continues the tradition of naming its Android versions after desserts, and while Android 15 hasn’t fully hit Google Pixel devices yet, the company is already working on Android 16, codenamed Baklava. It is interesting that Google this time deviated from its usual alphabetical order of versions. If we follow this tradition, Android 16 should have started with the letter “W”, but instead they chose “B” – “Bakhlava”.

Insiders report that Android 16 Baklava will debut at Google I/O in 2025. Currently, the Android AOSP codebase has the min_sdk_version field set to Baklava, indicating active development. For Android 15, this value was originally VanillaIceCream, which was later changed to Android 15 as the platform stabilized.

Google traditionally changes dessert names after reaching a stable version of the operating system, but the very concept of code names remains popular among developers and users alike, adding an element of fun to the technical updates of the Android OS.