Google makes it simple to put in the Android 16 preview with its on-line Flash Software

Google has already began work on Android 16, with the primary Developer Preview (DP1) construct of the brand new OS model now available to the public. Lately, the corporate has adopted a launch cadence of launching DP1’s in the February timeframe, making this an exception to the pattern.

According to Google, this shift in scheduling is supposed to realign Android software program improvement to run parallel with the annual {hardware} launch cycles of its associate OEMs.

Android 16 Developer Preview 1 brings with it a number of platform tweaks and enhancements, but it surely ought to be famous that this launch is primarily meant for builders in search of an setting to check their apps in. Google says the steady model of Android 16 is deliberate to hit the market within the second quarter of 2025.

Which units at the moment assist Android 15 Developer Preview 1?

Naturally, Pixel units obtain preferential therapy

The following devices are appropriate with the primary Developer Preview construct of Android 16:

• Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Professional, Pixel 9 Professional XL, Pixel 9 Professional Fold
• Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Professional
• Pixel Fold
• Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Professional
• Pixel 8a, Pixel 7a, Pixel 6a
• Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Professional
• Pixel Pill

In the interim, your entire checklist includes solely of Google’s personal Pixel line of {hardware}. Over time, I count on extra handsets and tablets from third-party OEMs to be added into the combination.

It is fascinating to see Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional handsets make the minimize this yr — technically, the company has only guaranteed Android model updates for the handsets till October 2024. It is refreshing to see that despite the fact that the search large is within the clear, it is making good with homeowners of older Pixel {hardware}.

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How do I obtain and set up Android 15 Developer Preview 1 on my gadget?

Android Flash Software makes the method a comparatively accessible one

Sadly, there is not a easy over-the-air (OTA) replace course of in place for getting Android 16 Developer Preview 1 up and working. As an alternative, you will wish to make use of Google’s Android Flash Software to get your self arrange.

Upon getting all the pieces you want, observe these steps:

1. Allow developer choices in your cellphone by navigating to Settings > About cellphone > and tapping on the construct quantity seven instances in a row.
2. From right here, you will be prompted to enter your cellphone’s PIN or password to proceed.
3. Subsequent, backtrack to the principle Settings web page, after which faucet on System > Developer choices.
4. Toggle on USB debugging from the checklist of settings that seem on-screen.
5. Toggle on OEM unlocking from this identical checklist of on-screen settings.
6. Plug your cellphone into your Mac or PC utilizing your USB cable.
7. In your Mac or PC, navigate to Google’s Android Flash Tool net portal through your net browser.
8. Faucet or click on on the blue Get Began button, and observe the prompts that seem on-screen.

To provoke the method, you will want at the very least 10GB of obtainable storage in your laptop. You will be requested to not work together together with your cellphone except particularly prompted to by the Android Flash Software, and to not unplug your cellphone out of your laptop through the course of.

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There’s a secondary methodology for getting Android 16 Developer Preview 1 up and working in your cellphone, but it surely’s a extra concerned course of. Doing so requires manually unlocking your bootloader, getting into Fastboot mode, extracting manufacturing facility picture recordsdata, and getting into terminal instructions on a PC or a Mac.

If you would like to observe the steps for manually flashing manufacturing facility photographs of this primary preview construct, our sister website Android Police has published a step-by-step guide on the right way to just do that. Simply be forewarned that this second methodology is not for the faint of coronary heart.

No matter which methodology you go for, the top consequence ought to be an up-and-running construct of Android 16 in its earliest rendition. As soon as your cellphone has efficiently rebooted, you will end up plopped onto the out-of-box expertise (OOBE) display, and from right here you’ll be able to go about organising your gadget. Through the setup, you will be requested to enter your earlier PIN or password for safety functions.

Subsequent developer preview and beta builds will arrive onto your Pixel over-the-air. Ultimately, as soon as the steady model of Android 16 reaches basic availability subsequent yr, it will be routinely pushed out to your gadget as effectively.

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