Google will drop Android 16 OS upgrade earlier than you could have expected. Android 15 release date has been allegedly revealed, hinting at a dramatic shift in Google Pixel software schedule.
Sources citing AndroidHeadlines revealed June 3, 2025, as the Android 16 release date. Pixel users could start receiving the OTA update on June 3rd if Google sticks to the plans prepared currently.
Google officially announced on October 31st that Android will have more frequent SDK releases with two releases planned in 2025 including a major OS in the second quarter and a minor release in the fourth quarter.
Android in 2025:
Q1 2025: Incremental updates to help ensure continuous quality.
Q2 2025: Major release with behavior changes. Release shifted from Q3 to better align with the schedule of device launches so more devices can get Android 16 sooner.
Q3 2025: Incremental updates to help ensure continuous quality.
Q4 2025: Minor release with feature updates, optimizations, and bug fixes as well as new developer APIs without any app-impacting behavior changes.
Pixel smartphone users will have Android 16 at the time when Android vendors will be providing the Android 15 update. This is all because of Google’s push to streamline Android distribution for manufacturers.
Pixel 9 buyers may find themselves robbed given the OS their phone boots. In a dramatic move, Google launched the Pixel 9 series running Android 14 and upgraded the models with Android 15 via OTA.
The Pixel 10 series is most likely to ship with Android 16 pre-installed. The US tech giant will ensure bringing its next Pixel lineup comes with the newest Android version – pushing the Pixel line as the face of Android.
