Google releases Android 16 Beta 4, hitting the ultimate milestone earlier than secure

Again when Google stunned us all with the primary Developer Preview of Android 16 in November, the corporate additionally printed a improvement timeline. Google has hit every milestone completely thus far, and now we’re right down to the final bullet on the listing. The April 2025 launch is the ultimate main beta model deliberate earlier than going secure in Could or June, and that replace has simply arrived: Android 16 Beta 4.

Google introduced the brand new model on the Android Builders Weblog at this time, although its put up doesn’t seem like absolutely reside simply but. Nonetheless, we have been anticipating the brand new model ever since Google proclaimed on Twitter/X that it will be arriving at this time.

It is nonetheless unclear if Beta 4 carries the necessary April 2025 safety patches that addressed two zero-days and different important CVEs, however that’s more likely to be the case, contemplating the timing. As Mishaal Rahman reported yesterday, this replace has a construct variety of BP22.250325.007.

Notably, this needs to be the primary beta construct out there for the brand-new Pixel 9a. The truth is, all of Google’s telephones, tablets, and foldables, from the Pixel 6 via the brand new 9a, are eligible for this replace — offered they’re opted in to the Android Beta Program, after all.

The launch notes for Android 16 Beta 4 aren’t fairly up but, however we’ll add them to this put up as quickly as they’re out there.

One change was noticed by AssembleDebug on the GApps Flags & Leaks Telegram channel. Within the Wallpaper & fashion app, the place Beta 3 had displayed a outstanding Beta badge on the Themed icons setting, Beta 4 has lastly eliminated this. In different phrases, Google’s themed icons have lastly gone secure — however paradoxically, this modification had already been made with Android 15 QPR2, so the secure channel was forward of the beta on this regard.

The replace ought to begin rolling out instantly, however it could take as much as every week to indicate up for everybody, relying in your machine and provider. To see if it is out there in your Pixel, head to Settings → System → Software program updates → System replace and faucet the Verify for updates button.

Google has already mentioned Android 16 is on observe for a Q2 2025 launch

In an interview with Android Police’s James Peckham at Cellular World Congress final month, Google’s President of the Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, confirmed that the corporate was nonetheless on observe to launch the secure construct of Android 16 shortly after this month’s beta. The official phrase is solely Q2 2025, which could possibly be anyplace between now and June.

With the way in which issues are going — largely due to a shift to Trunk Steady improvement — we would not be stunned to see Android 16’s public debut someday round

Google I/O 2025
in Could. We’ll doubtless see a Beta 4.x bugfix launch or two, so issues may simply drag out till June, however at this time’s launch definitely bodes nicely for an I/O launch.