Google has taken a significant step towards the public launch of its next major mobile operating system update, releasing Android 16 Beta 4 on Thursday, April 17th, 2025. This update represents a crucial milestone in the development cycle, signaling that the platform is nearing its final form. Since unveiling the first Developer Preview back in November, Google has consistently met the targets outlined in its development timeline, bringing us now to the final planned beta phase before the official stable release.This fourth beta is designated as the last scheduled update within the Android 16 beta program. While unforeseen critical issues could potentially necessitate an additional patch, the release of Beta 4 indicates that Google is confident in the current state of the operating system. It signifies that the core APIs and system behaviors are now considered final, achieving what Google refers to as Platform Stability. This stability is essential for developers, providing them with a consistent target to test and finalize their applications against before the widespread public rollout.With Beta 4 now available, the focus shifts towards the imminent stable release of Android 16. Google officials, including Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, have confirmed that the company remains on track for a launch within the second quarter (Q2) of 2025. This timeframe places the potential release window anywhere between now and the end of June. This beta serves as the last major opportunity for developers and beta testers to provide feedback on any lingering issues, ensuring the smoothest possible transition to the stable version. Google encourages users to report problems via the official feedback channels.Beyond finalizing features, Android 16 Beta 4 also incorporates important security updates. It includes the April 2025 security patches, which notably addressed two zero-day vulnerabilities alongside other critical fixes, enhancing the overall security posture of the platform leading up to its launch. The specific build number for this release is BP22.250325.007. For developers aiming to optimize their apps for the new OS, Google recommends using the latest Canary build of Android Studio Narwhal for the best development experience.Looking beyond the immediate stable launch, Google has also outlined plans for subsequent updates. While the Q2 2025 release will be the primary Android 16 launch containing potentially app-affecting behavior changes, a smaller, minor release is planned for Q4 2025. This later update will focus on delivering feature enhancements, optimizations, and bug fixes, similar to quarterly platform releases, and is not expected to introduce intentional breaking changes for applications. As Beta 4 rolls out to testers, the Android community eagerly anticipates the final polish and the official arrival of Android 16 on devices worldwide in the coming weeks or months.
