For the past decade, Google has released major Android updates in the fall after an extensive development and beta preview process, but for 2025, at least, that’s changing. Google is now planning its next major release for the second quarter instead of the third, confirming a recent report from Android Authority about Android 16, which will be codenamed dessert-themed »Baklavas.”

Sure, Google Pixel phones were the first to get the latest releases, but what about everyone else? A new schedule could make it easier for more manufacturers to release new devices with the latest features available on day one, instead of waiting for future updates to add things like Circle to Search.

In the new model, Google tells developers that there will be a major release in the second quarter, as well as a minor release of the SDK in the fourth quarter that more closely resembles the current quarterly releases that add new features without changing the systems under them much. -jacent. This will involve moving forward with compatibility testing, but the other benefit is that apps might have reason to support new features – like ongoing notifications on iPhone Live Activities, for example – because more devices will be able to use them immediately.