Joe Maring / Android Authority
If you’re reading this article, chances are you love Android. Or, at the very least, have a fairly high interest in the OS. You probably like staying up-to-date with the latest features, new platform releases, and other happenings with Google’s operating system.
Unfortunately for people like us, trying to keep up with new Android developments has never been more complicated. And this past week, Google just made it all the more obscure with the release of Android Canary.
Stable Android 16? Android 16 QPR1 Beta? Android 16 Developer Preview, which is now Android Canary, which is neither Android 16 nor Android 17?
There’s no other way around it. Android 16 is currently a mess.
What do you think about Android Canary? 599 votes I like it! It seems like a cool way to test new Android features. 30 % Developer Previews were fine, Google should have kept them. 27 % I don't care either way. 40 % Other (let us know in the comments). 3 %
The current state of Android 16
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Even before the arrival of Android Canary (which I’ll get to soon), Google’s entire strategy for Android 16 has been one of the most convoluted ones I’ve ever seen.
Android 16 is a very different release from previous versions, as Google started development much sooner than it typically does. After Android 15 launched in October 2024, the first Android 16 Developer Preview dropped a month later in November, with the stable release arriving on Pixels this past June.
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