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The first of many early versions of Android 16 is here, and almost every person reading this should shrug and not care about it. OK, maybe that’s harsh, but really, because there is nothing there for you, and even Google will tell you that it’s going to be a mess.
Software like this is important. Some people will need to get ready in any way they can for the coming API changes and any new ones for things like user health data. Other people need to do everything they can to try and break things and then report their findings in minute detail to the Android team at Google. The rest of us should just look and not touch. You already know if you’re a person who needs to install this.
You’ve heard all this before. Every time Google throws out some pre-beta test software that nobody should install, people like me will remind you that it’s not worth it. Trust me, I’ll have to install it eventually and wish I didn’t need to. It’s just one of the things I have to do to make a living because my music career never took off.
Another way to look at it is to ask yourself why you would even want to install this. There are no new features for you to see, and even if there are, they may not work properly. Sure, you might be able to tap things a bunch of times and see a new logo, but you could also just download a screenshot and look at it on your phone for the same result. The announced features are not there, and any underpinnings in place to be ready for them only make the system unstable right now.
Android 16 could turn out to be the best version of Android ever. Thanks to more phones getting supported longer, you’ll probably get a chance to use it, too. When it’s ready and awesome you should install it the first chance you get.
Right now, though, Android 16 sucks. It’s just like Android 15, with more bugs and less stability. Let Google keep it in the kitchen and work on the recipe a little longer, and you’ll be happier.
Get Android 16 first
The Pixel series is the only way to get your hands on Android 16 before anyone else, whether you’re a developer testing apps or a regular Joe waiting for the stable release in 2025.