Android 16 Developer Preview 1 (DP1) is here, and it’s bringing some stylish tweaks, including a fresh Material You makeover for Wi-Fi QR code sharing. This isn’t new functionality—Android has let you share Wi-Fi via QR codes since version 10—but the updated visuals make it feel more personal and modern. The QR code now matches your system’s color theme, which adds a nice touch to the utility.
Apart from the visual update for QR code sharing, Android 16 is bringing several improvements, including a "Notification Cooldown" feature to manage notification spam. The new version codenamed "Baklava," might be set for an earlier release on June 3, 2025.
This early rollout aims to help device manufacturers integrate Android 16 into upcoming products more smoothly. Developers and OEMs will also benefit from faster access to new AI capabilities, thanks to Google's plan for a minor SDK update in late 2025 to improve stability and introduce fresh APIs.
Android 16 is following Google’s usual roll-out plan for developer previews and betas:
- Developer Preview 1: Released this month, with a focus on developer feedback.
- Developer Preview 2: Expected in December.
- Beta Builds: Launching early next year, ramping up with more user-focused updates leading to a stable release.
If you’re itching to try DP1, know that it’s best suited for developers. It’s not polished enough for everyday use and could mess with your apps or device stability. If you’re still game, you can flash the system image on a Pixel device (Pixel 5 or newer). Just do this on a secondary phone to avoid data loss.
You can grab the factory images from Google’s developer site, but make sure you back up your data first. The process involves unlocking your bootloader and manually installing the image, so it’s not for the faint of heart.
Source: 9To5Google
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