Posted by Matthew McCullough – VP of Product Administration, Android Developer
The second developer preview of Android 16 is now obtainable to check together with your apps. This construct consists of modifications designed to boost the app expertise, enhance battery life, and enhance efficiency whereas minimizing incompatibilities, and your suggestions is vital in serving to us perceive the total affect of this work.
System triggered profiling
ProfilingManager was added in Android 15, giving apps the power to request profiling information assortment utilizing Perfetto on public units within the area. To assist seize difficult hint situations reminiscent of startups or ANRs, ProfilingManager now consists of System Triggered Profiling. Apps can use ProfilingManager#addProfilingTriggers() to register curiosity in receiving details about these flows. Flows coated on this launch embrace onFullyDrawn for exercise primarily based chilly begins, and ANRs.
val anrTrigger = ProfilingTrigger.Builder( ProfilingTrigger.TRIGGER_TYPE_ANR ) .setRateLimitingPeriodHours(1) .construct() val startupTrigger: ProfilingTrigger = //... mProfilingManager.addProfilingTriggers(listOf(anrTrigger, startupTrigger))
Begin element in ApplicationStartInfo
ApplicationStartInfo was added in Android 15, permitting an app to see causes for course of begin, begin sort, begin occasions, throttling, and different helpful diagnostic information. Android 16 provides getStartComponent() to differentiate what element sort triggered the beginning, which could be useful for optimizing the startup move of your app.
Richer Haptics
Android has uncovered restricted management over the haptic actuator since its inception.
Android 11 added assist for extra advanced haptic results that extra superior actuators can assist by means of VibrationEffect.Compositions of device-defined semantic primitives.
Android 16 provides haptic APIs that permit apps outline the amplitude and frequency curves of a haptic impact whereas abstracting away variations between system capabilities.
Higher job introspection
Android 16 introduces JobScheduler#getPendingJobReasons(int jobId) which might return a number of the explanation why a job is pending, as a consequence of each express constraints set by the developer and implicit constraints set by the system.
We’re additionally introducing JobScheduler#getPendingJobReasonsHistory(int jobId), which returns a listing of the latest constraint modifications.
The API can assist you debug why your jobs might not be executing, particularly should you’re seeing decreased success charges with sure duties or latency points with job completion as properly. This may additionally higher aid you perceive if sure jobs will not be finishing as a consequence of system outlined constraints versus explicitly set constraints.
Adaptive refresh fee
Adaptive refresh fee (ARR), launched in Android 15, permits the show refresh fee on supported {hardware} to adapt to the content material body fee utilizing discrete VSync steps. This reduces energy consumption whereas eliminating the necessity for probably jank-inducing mode-switching.
Android 16 DP2 introduces hasArrSupport() and getSuggestedFrameRate(int) whereas restoring getSupportedRefreshRates() to make it simpler in your apps to reap the benefits of ARR.
RecyclerView 1.4 internally helps ARR when it’s settling from a fling or smooth scroll, and we’re persevering with our work so as to add ARR assist into extra Jetpack libraries. This frame rate article covers most of the APIs you need to use to set the body fee in order that your app can straight leverage ARR.
Job execution optimizations
Beginning in Android 16, we’re adjusting common and expedited job execution runtime quota primarily based on the next elements:
- Which app standby bucket the applying is in; lively standby buckets can be given a beneficiant runtime quota.
- Jobs began whereas the app is seen to the consumer and continues after the app turns into invisible will adhere to the job runtime quota.
- Jobs which can be executing concurrently with a foreground service will adhere to the job runtime quota. If you’ll want to carry out an information switch which will take a very long time think about using a user initiated data transfer.
Word: To grasp additional debug and check the conduct change, learn extra about JobScheduler quota optimizations.
Absolutely deprecating JobInfo#setImportantWhileForeground
The JobInfo.Builder#setImportantWhileForeground(boolean) methodology signifies the significance of a job whereas the scheduling app is within the foreground or when briefly exempted from background restrictions.
This methodology has been deprecated since Android 12 (API 31). Beginning in Android 16, it should not operate successfully and calling this methodology can be ignored.
This elimination of performance additionally applies to JobInfo#isImportantWhileForeground(). Beginning in Android 16, if the tactic is named, the tactic will return false.
Deprecated Disruptive Accessibility Bulletins
Android 16 DP2 deprecates accessibility bulletins, characterised by way of announceForAccessibility or the dispatch of TYPE_ANNOUNCEMENT AccessibilityEvents. They will create inconsistent consumer experiences for customers of TalkBack and Android’s display screen reader, and options higher serve a broader vary of consumer wants throughout quite a lot of Android’s assistive applied sciences.
Examples of options:
The deprecated announceForAccessibility API consists of extra element on instructed options.
Cloud search in photograph picker
The photo picker offers a protected, built-in method for customers to grant your app entry to chose photos and movies from each native and cloud storage, as a substitute of their total media library. Utilizing a mixture of Modular System Components by means of Google System Updates and Google Play services, it is supported again to Android 4.4 (API level 19). Integration requires only a few traces of code with the related Android Jetpack library.
The developer preview consists of new APIs to enable searching from the cloud media supplier for the Android photograph picker. Search performance within the photograph picker is coming quickly.
Ranging with enhanced safety
Android 16 provides assist for robust security features in WiFi location on supported units with WiFi 6’s 802.11az, permitting apps to mix the upper accuracy, better scalability, and dynamic scheduling of the protocol with safety enhancements together with AES-256-based encryption and safety in opposition to MITM assaults. This permits it for use extra safely in proximity use circumstances, reminiscent of unlocking a laptop computer or a car door. 802.11az is built-in with the Wi-Fi 6 customary, leveraging its infrastructure and capabilities for wider adoption and simpler deployment.
Well being Join updates
Well being Join within the developer preview provides ACTIVITY_INTENSITY, a brand new datatype outlined in response to World Well being Group tips round reasonable and vigorous exercise. Every report requires the beginning time, the tip time and whether or not the exercise depth is reasonable or vigorous.
Well being Join additionally incorporates up to date APIs supporting well being information. This permits apps to learn and write medical information in FHIR format with express consumer consent. This API is at the moment in an early entry program. Join if you would like to be part of our early access program.
Predictive again additions
Android 16 provides new APIs that will help you allow predictive again system animations in gesture navigation such because the back-to-home animation. Registering the onBackInvokedCallback with the brand new PRIORITY_SYSTEM_NAVIGATION_OBSERVER permits your app to obtain the common onBackInvoked name every time the system handles a again navigation with out impacting the traditional again navigation move.
Android 16 moreover provides the finishAndRemoveTaskCallback() and moveTaskToBackCallback(). By registering these callbacks with the OnBackInvokedDispatcher, the system can set off particular behaviors and play corresponding ahead-of-time animations when the again gesture is invoked.
This preview is for the subsequent main launch of Android with a deliberate launch in Q2 of 2025 and we plan to have one other launch with new developer APIs in This fall. The Q2 main launch would be the solely launch in 2025 to incorporate deliberate conduct modifications that might have an effect on apps. The This fall minor launch will choose up function updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; it is not going to embrace any app-impacting conduct modifications.

We’ll proceed to have quarterly Android releases. The Q1 and Q3 updates in-between the API releases will present incremental updates to assist guarantee steady high quality. We’re actively working with our system companions to convey the Q2 launch to as many units as potential.
There’s no change to the goal API degree necessities and the related dates for apps in Google Play; our plans are for one annual requirement every year, and that can be tied to the main API degree.
How you can prepare
Along with performing compatibility testing on the subsequent main launch, just be sure you’re compiling your apps in opposition to the brand new SDK, and use the compatibility framework to allow targetSdkVersion-gated conduct modifications as they turn into obtainable for early testing.
App compatibility

The Android 16 Preview program runs from November 2024 till the ultimate public launch subsequent yr. At key growth milestones, we’ll ship updates in your growth and testing environments. Every replace consists of SDK instruments, system photos, emulators, API reference, and API diffs. We’ll spotlight vital APIs as they’re prepared to check within the preview program in blogs and on the Android 16 developer website.
We’re focusing on Late Q1 of 2025 for our Platform Stability milestone. At this milestone, we’ll ship last SDK/NDK APIs and likewise last inner APIs and app-facing system behaviors. We’re anticipating to succeed in Platform Stability in March 2025, and from that point you’ll have a number of months earlier than the official launch to do your last testing. Study extra within the release timeline details.
Get began with Android 16
You will get began right now with Developer Preview 2 by flashing a system picture and updating the instruments. In case you are at the moment on Developer Preview 1, you’ll robotically get an over-the-air replace to Developer Preview 2. We’re in search of your suggestions so please report points and submit function requests on the feedback page. The sooner we get your suggestions, the extra we are able to embrace within the last launch.
For the most effective growth expertise with Android 16, we advocate that you simply use the newest preview of the Android Studio Ladybug function drop. When you’re arrange, listed below are a few of the issues you must do:
- Compile in opposition to the brand new SDK, check in CI environments, and report any points in our tracker on the feedback page.
- Take a look at your present app for compatibility, be taught whether or not your app is affected by modifications in Android 16, and set up your app onto a tool or emulator working Android 16 and extensively check it.
We’ll replace the preview system images and SDK usually all through the Android 16 launch cycle. This preview launch is for builders solely and never supposed for each day shopper use. We’re making it available by manual download. When you’ve manually put in a preview construct, you’ll robotically get future updates over-the-air for all later previews and Betas.
In the event you’ve already put in Android 15 QPR Beta 2 and wish to flash Android 16 Developer Preview 2, you are able to do so with out first having to wipe your system.
As we attain our Beta releases, we’ll be inviting shoppers to strive Android 16 as properly, and we’ll open up enrollment for Android 16 within the Android Beta program at the moment.
For full data, go to the Android 16 developer site.