Hey developers! Today we’re excited to bring you Android 16 Beta 4 — the last scheduled update in our Android 16 beta program. This is your final chance to test your app or game and make sure everything’s ready for the official release. It’s also the last opportunity to give us your feedback before Android 16 hits the public.
What’s New in Android 16 Beta 4?
This is our second platform stability release, meaning the developer APIs and app behaviors are now locked in. If your app is targeting Android 16, you can start getting it ready for Google Play. Beta 4 also includes some new fixes and optimizations, so make sure to test everything thoroughly.
If you’ve been following along, you can check out our full list of changes and features on the Android 16 summary page. But here are some of the key updates you need to know about:
Now Available on More Devices
We’re expanding our beta coverage! Android 16 Beta 4 is now available on even more devices — handsets, tablets, and foldables from brands like Honor, OnePlus, iQOO, Lenovo, Realme, OPPO, Xiaomi, and many others. This means even more users can test your app, so make sure it’s ready for all these different devices.
Developers, It’s Time to Get Your Tools Ready!
If you develop SDKs, libraries, tools, or game engines, now’s the time to get everything ready for Android 16. You’ll want to make sure any necessary updates are in place so app and game developers won’t run into compatibility issues down the road. If you’re unsure about compatibility, it’s a good idea to test your libraries or engines thoroughly with Android 16 Beta 4.
If you haven’t already, install your app or test app on a device or emulator running Beta 4. Work through your app’s flows, check for any functional or UI issues, and pay attention to the behavior changes we’ve listed.
Here are some key changes to focus on, even if you’re not yet targeting Android 16:
- JobScheduler: Quotas are more strictly enforced. Make sure your jobs behave correctly.
- Broadcasts: Ordered broadcasts with priorities now only work within the same process.
- Reflection & JNI: If you’re accessing Android internals (which isn’t a best practice anyway), you’ll need to test thoroughly.
- Intents: We’ve tightened security to prevent Intent redirection attacks, so check your Intent handling carefully.
- 16KB Page Size: If your app isn’t optimized for 16KB page size, we recommend migrating to it for better performance.
- Accessibility: The
announceForAccessibilitymethod is now deprecated. Make sure to switch to the recommended alternatives.
Changes You’ll Need to Know About When Targeting Android 16
When you start targeting Android 16, you’ll see some important changes in user experience, functionality, and support for large-screen devices:
- User Experience: Edge-to-edge opt-out is gone, predictive back is now mandatory, and we’ve removed some font APIs.
- Core Functionality: We’ve optimized work scheduling for better performance.
- Large Screen Devices: Layouts need to support all orientations and aspect ratios, so make sure your app works well across devices like tablets and foldables.
- Health & Fitness: Permissions have been updated, so check your app if you handle health-related data.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next?
With Android 16 Beta 4, we’re gearing up for the official release in Q2 2025. But don’t forget, we’ll have another API release in Q4 2025, focused on optimizations, feature updates, and bug fixes. We’re also continuing to work with our device partners to make sure Android 16 gets to as many devices as possible.
Get Started with Android 16
You can enroll any supported Pixel device to get Android 16 updates over-the-air. If you don’t have a Pixel, you can use Android Emulator with the 64-bit system images. If you’re already using Android 16 Beta 3 or in the beta program, you’ll automatically get the over-the-air update to Beta 4.
While the API and behavior changes are final, we still want to hear from you. If you encounter any issues, let us know through the feedback page. Early feedback helps us catch issues before the official release.
For the smoothest development experience, we recommend using the latest Canary build of Android Studio Narwhal. Once you’re set up, here’s what you should do:
- Compile against the new SDK.
- Test in your CI environments.
- Report any issues you find.
- Install your app on a device or emulator running Android 16 Beta 4 and test thoroughly.
We’ll keep updating the beta system images and SDK throughout the Android 16 cycle. Once you’re in, you’ll automatically get future updates.
