Android 16: Google's new operating system is coming earlier - new version should be brought forward (AOSP)

Google’s Android department continues to step on the gas and now seems to be working on the time frame within which the operating system is released. Now there is a clear indication Android 16 appeared, which should be ready even earlier next year and could therefore perhaps be published as the first preview version this year. A strange situation.

While no Pixel user can use the new Android 15 yet, with the exception of the beta versions, Google is already two steps further and could publish a first preview of the upcoming major version this year. In the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) there are a few mentions of the upcoming Android 16, which has several nicknames that reveal the first details about the release. And there are definitely surprises in there.

Android 16 aosp

The new version is referred to as 25Q2/Android W. Android W clearly stands for Android 16, because Android V was Android 15. But the first name is more interesting, because it suggests that the final version will appear in the second quarter of 2025 – June at the latest. As a reminder, it’s now October and we’re still waiting for Android 15. What’s even more interesting is that although it’s called “Android W”, this version is supposed to be called “baklava” internally, meaning the alphabet will start all over again despite the W appendage could.

The release in the second quarter of 2025 refers to the AOSP version, i.e. the basic version of the operating system, which is adapted by smartphone manufacturers for their own devices. Just because Android 16 would be ready in June doesn’t mean that it will be rolled out to smartphones in a timely manner. Nevertheless, the beta program will probably end earlier than before – and perhaps start earlier too.

» Android 15: Rollout on Pixel smartphones continues to be delayed – leak reveals planned release date

» Android 15 is here! Rollout on the first smartphones begins – Vivo overtakes Google’s Pixel and Samsung

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