The next major Android update will not be released in late summer or early fall, but in spring, Google has announced.
A major change. For several years, Google has revealed the new version of its mobile operating system, Android, in May, during its Google I/O conference. This is then deployed between the months of August and October.
Next year, Android smartphone owners will be able to upgrade to Android 16 much earlier than usual. In a blog article, Google announced the deployment of Android 16 for the second quarter of 2025, i.e. between April and June.
Align with smartphone manufacturers
Google justified this change. “We are planning the major release in the second quarter rather than the third to better align with the release schedule of devices in our ecosystem, so that more devices can benefit from the major version of Android earlier,” the company said.
Currently, only its own smartphones, namely the Pixels, can upgrade to the latest version of its mobile operating system, Android 15. And this has only been happening for a few weeks. Owners of Android smartphones designed by other brands, such as Samsung or Xiaomi, still have to wait.
Google further specifies that a “minor version” of its mobile operating system will be deployed in the fourth quarter of next year. It will include feature updates, optimizations and bug fixes.
