Google Quietly Confirms Android 16 Timeline — But It’s Not for Everyone Just Yet

Nick Papanikolopoulos

May 14, 2025

Google didn’t exactly shout it from the rooftops, but during The Android Show and some adjacent press Q&As, the company finally pinned down when we can expect Android 16 to land—at least for some users. The short version? June. But only if you own a Pixel. Sameer Samat, who heads up the Android Ecosystem at Google, mentioned—almost in passing—that Pixel users should “watch out for updates starting next month.” That came straight from conversations at the event, not from a splashy press release. Typical…

And yes, “next month” lines up with what we’d been hearing already. Based on earlier reports, June 3 is the date to keep an eye on, but don’t hold your breath for a global rollout overnight. These things tend to creep out in waves, and there’s always a chance for delays or device-specific holdbacks.

Android 16: What about Samsung?

This is where it gets a little more fuzzy. If you’re not in Google’s hardware camp—say, if you use a Samsung device—you’re probably looking at a longer wait. According to Samat, Android 16 will arrive for “Samsung and other partners this summer.” Vague, but that’s the language.

That likely means late June at the absolute earliest, but more realistically, July or August. And there’s a bit of logic behind that. Samsung is expected to drop the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 sometime in July, and odds are good those phones will ship with Android 16 out of the box. The company’s already testing One UI 8, so it tracks.

Of course, nothing is officially confirmed. We’ve seen timelines slip before. Sometimes it’s testing issues. Sometimes it’s just… quiet delays. Either way, if you’re not on a Pixel, you’ll be waiting a bit longer.

Everyone else? Sit tight.

As for other Android phone makers—Motorola, OnePlus, maybe even Sony—timing is even harder to guess. Most of them trail behind Google and Samsung by a few weeks, sometimes months. It depends on how fast they can tailor Android 16 to their own launchers and hardware. Some users may see it in late summer. Others? Early fall isn’t off the table.

Read Also: Xiaomi Is Preparing Three New Redmi Note 15 Phones — But One Isn’t Leaving China

I’ve been burned before by update ETA optimism, so I’ll just say this: If you’re not seeing the update by August, I wouldn’t panic. But I wouldn’t be shocked either.

Oh, and there’s a new beta

Right on cue, Google also pushed out Android 16 beta 4.1. This one supposedly fixes a few nagging issues flagged by early testers, though what “fixed” means in beta land is… up for debate. If you’re in the beta program and feeling brave, it’s already live. For everyone else, just wait for the stable release. Trust me, it’s almost always the better choice.

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