Features and APIs

Android 16 introduces great new features and APIs for developers. The following sections summarize these features to help you get started with the related APIs.

You should also review areas where platform changes might affect your apps. For more information, see the following pages:

Core functionality

Android includes new APIs that expand core capabilities of the Android system.

Two Android API releases in 2025

  • This preview is for the next major release of Android with a planned launch in Q2 of 2025. This release is similar to all of our API releases in the past, where we can have planned behavior changes that are often tied to a targetSdkVersion.
  • We're planning the major release a quarter earlier (Q2 rather than Q3 in prior years) to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner. With the major release coming in Q2, you'll need to do your annual compatibility testing a few months earlier than in previous years to make sure your apps are ready.
  • We plan to have another release in Q4 of 2025 which also will include new developer APIs. The Q2 major release will be the only release in 2025 to include planned behavior changes that could affect apps.

In addition to new developer APIs, the Q4 minor release will pick up feature updates, optimizations, and bug fixes; it will not include any app-impacting behavior changes.

Timeline view of Android releases in 2025, noting that the 25Q2 release is a major release and the 25Q4 release is a minor release.

We'll continue to have quarterly Android releases. The Q1 and Q3 updates in-between the API releases will provide incremental updates to help ensure continuous quality. We're actively working with our device partners to bring the Q2 release to as many devices as possible.

Using new APIs with major and minor releases

Guarding a code block with a check for API level is done today using the SDK_INT constant with VERSION_CODES. This will continue to be supported for major Android releases.

if (SDK_INT >= VERSION_CODES.BAKLAVA) {
  // Use APIs introduced in Android 16
}

The new SDK_INT_FULL constant can be used for API checks against both major and minor versions with the new VERSION_CODES_FULL enumeration.

if (SDK_INT_FULL >= VERSION_CODES_FULL.[MAJOR or MINOR RELEASE]) {
  // Use APIs introduced in a major or minor release
}

You can also use the Build.getMinorSdkVersion() method to get just the minor SDK version.

val minorSdkVersion = Build.getMinorSdkVersion(VERSION_CODES_FULL.BAKLAVA)

These APIs have not yet been finalized and are subject to change, so please send us feedback if you have any concerns.

User experience and system UI

Android 16 gives app developers and users more control and flexibility for configuring their device to fit their needs.

Predictive back updates

Android 16 adds new APIs to help you enable predictive back system animations in gesture navigation such as the back-to-home animation. Registering the onBackInvokedCallback with the new PRIORITY_SYSTEM_NAVIGATION_OBSERVER allows your app to receive the regular onBackInvoked call whenever the system handles a back navigation without impacting the normal back navigation flow.

Android 16 additionally adds the finishAndRemoveTaskCallback() and moveTaskToBackCallback. By registering these callbacks with the OnBackInvokedDispatcher, the system can trigger specific behaviors and play corresponding ahead-of-time animations when the back gesture is invoked.

Richer haptics

Android has exposed control over the haptic actuator ever since its inception.

Android 11 added support for more complex haptic effects that more advanced actuators could support through VibrationEffect.Compositions of device-defined semantic primitives.

Android 16 adds haptic APIs that let apps define the amplitude and frequency curves of a haptic effect while abstracting away differences between device capabilities.

Performance and battery

Android 16 introduces APIs that help gather insights about your apps.

System-triggered profiling

ProfilingManager was added in Android 15, giving apps the ability to request profiling data collection using Perfetto on public devices in the field. However, since this profiling must be started from the app, critical flows such as startups or ANRs would be difficult or impossible for apps to capture.

To help with this, Android 16 introduces system-triggered profiling to ProfilingManager. Apps can register interest in receiving traces for certain triggers such as cold start reportFullyDrawn or ANRs, and then the system starts and stops a trace on the app's behalf. After the trace completes, the results are delivered to the app's data directory.

Start component in ApplicationStartInfo

ApplicationStartInfo was added in Android 15, allowing an app to see reasons for process start, start type, start times, throttling, and other useful diagnostic data. Android 16 adds getStartComponent() to distinguish what component type triggered the start, which can be helpful for optimizing the startup flow of your app.

Better job introspection

The JobScheduler#getPendingJobReason() API returns a reason why a job might be pending. However, a job might be pending for multiple reasons.

In Android 16, we are introducing a new API JobScheduler#getPendingJobReasons(int jobId), which returns multiple reasons why a job is pending, due to both explicit constraints set by the developer and implicit constraints set by the system.

We're also introducing JobScheduler#getPendingJobReasonsHistory(int jobId), which returns a list of the most recent constraint changes.

We recommend using the API to help you debug why your jobs may not be executing, especially if you're seeing reduced success rates of certain tasks or have bugs around latency of certain job completion. For example, updating widgets in the background failed to occur or prefetch job failed to be called prior to app start.

This can also better help you understand if certain jobs are not completing due to system defined constraints versus explicitly set constraints.

Adaptive refresh rate

Adaptive refresh rate (ARR), introduced in Android 15, enables the display refresh rate on supported hardware to adapt to the content frame rate using discrete VSync steps. This reduces power consumption while eliminating the need for potentially jank-inducing mode-switching.

Android 16 introduces hasArrSupport() and getSuggestedFrameRate(int) while restoring getSupportedRefreshRates() to make it easier for your apps to take advantage of ARR. RecyclerView 1.4 internally supports ARR when it is settling from a fling or smooth scroll, and we're continuing our work to add ARR support into more Jetpack libraries. This frame rate article covers many of the APIs you can use to set the frame rate so that your app can directly use ARR.

Connectivity

Android 16 updates the platform to give your app access to the latest advances in communication and wireless technologies.

Ranging with enhanced security

Android 16 adds support for robust security features in Wi-Fi location on supported devices with Wi-Fi 6's 802.11az, allowing apps to combine the higher accuracy, greater scalability, and dynamic scheduling of the protocol with security enhancements including AES-256-based encryption and protection against MITM attacks. This allows it to be used more safely in proximity use cases, such as unlocking a laptop or a vehicle door. 802.11az is integrated with the Wi-Fi 6 standard, leveraging its infrastructure and capabilities for wider adoption and easier deployment.

Media

Android 16 includes a variety of features that improve the media experience.

Photo picker improvements

The photo picker provides a safe, built-in way for users to grant your app access to selected images and videos from both local and cloud storage, instead of their entire media library. Using a combination of Modular System Components through Google System Updates and Google Play services, it's supported back to Android 4.4 (API level 19). Integration requires just a few lines of code with the associated Android Jetpack library.

Android 16 includes the following improvements to the photo picker:

  • Embedded photo picker: New APIs that enable apps to embed the photo picker into their view hierarchy. This allows it to feel like a more integrated part of the app while still leveraging the process isolation that allows users to select media without the app needing overly broad permissions. To maximize compatibility across platform versions and simplify your integration, you'll want to use the forthcoming Android Jetpack library if you want to integrate the embedded photo picker.
  • Cloud search in photo picker: New APIs that enable searching from the cloud media provider for the Android photo picker. Search functionality in the photo picker is coming soon.

Privacy

Android 16 includes a variety of features that help app developers protect user privacy.

Health Connect updates

Health Connect in the developer preview adds ACTIVITY_INTENSITY, a new data type defined according to World Health Organization guidelines around moderate and vigorous activity. Each record requires the start time, the end time and whether the activity intensity is moderate or vigorous.

Health Connect also contains updated APIs supporting health records. This allows apps to read and write medical records in FHIR format with explicit user consent. This API is in an early access program. If you'd like to participate, sign up to be part of our early access program.

Privacy Sandbox on Android

Android 16 incorporates the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android, part of our ongoing work to develop technologies where users know their privacy is protected. Our website has more about the Privacy Sandbox on Android developer beta program to help you get started. Check out the SDK Runtime which allows SDKs to run in a dedicated runtime environment separate from the app they are serving, providing stronger safeguards around user data collection and sharing.