Doha: Google announced today the release of the first beta version of Android 16 Developer Preview, giving developers the opportunity to explore the new features offered by the upcoming system. The Android 16 Developer Preview offers a number of new features but does not include major changes compared to previous versions. Google released the update ahead of schedule in an effort for Androids to receive major updates quicker in 2025.

According to Qatar News Agency, “Android 16 Developer Preview 1 is available now to test with your apps. This is the start of Android having more frequent API releases as part of our effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices,” said VP of Product Management, Android Developer for Google Matthew McCullough. The beta version allows developers to include the Photo Picker feature directly within their applications, which makes it easier to share media, such as photos and videos, without having to grant applications full access to files on the device or stored in the cloud
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The Android 16 Developer Preview includes an update to the Privacy Sandbox feature, which enhances user privacy protection in the Android system regarding ad tracking, in addition to an early version of the Health Connect, which supports reading and writing medical records in FHIR format. This feature aims to enable medical devices and apps to share medical records with user consent, similar to the features provided by health fitness trackers.

Additional new features include Audio Sharing, which allows multiple wireless headphones to be connected to the phone at the same time, and the Notifications Cooldown feature lowers the volume of successive notifications for two minutes without affecting calls and notifications of utmost importance to the user.