We are accustomed to new versions of Android coming out as soon as summer ends and Google's cell phone software is launched and rolled out to Android phones in the final months of the year However, according to recent leaks, Android 16 could change all that

Specifically, Android Authority reports that the next version of Android will launch much earlier than expected, and Android 16 could arrive as early as the second quarter of next year

That may not be the only change in Android 16 Google may also change its codename practices, moving away from choosing names in alphabetical order

But first, the date change As you may recall, Google typically releases its next-generation operating system between August and October Most recently, Android 15 landed for Google phones last month, making its way to other Android devices However, the Android Authority report cites the Android 15 compatibility definition document, which mentions twice that the next release of Android will take place in “25Q2”

This is reportedly due to changes in the way Android is developed, with Google finally moving Android to a trunk-based development model to improve platform stability

This is not the only evidence of a change in Android release dates; there is a note in a patch implementing a new API for the Bluetooth stack that mentions the same 25Q2 window For reference, Google has been using Android release dates internally since the first trunk table release, Android 14 QPR2

It is not only the release date that has apparently changed, but another report claims that Android 16 will appear under the codename Baklava This is a change from Google's usual naming trend, which has been alphabetical since Android 15 with the codename cupcake in 2009 The discovery came from a tip-off by developer teamb58 who found a line of code in the Android Open Source Project (ASOP) that suggested the new name change

While there are hints that Google may be making changes somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 16, the actual feature changes in Android 16 are not yet well known Presumably, the new OS will allow for more customization of the Notification Panel and Quick Settings Panel This could include allowing the notification panel to take up only a portion of the screen, allowing users to quickly change settings without having to go back and forth

If Google intends to release updates more frequently, we could see quicker OS updates, but with fewer features However, we won't know for sure until the official announcement of Android 16 Until then, we can prepare for the latest OS next year and plan to get the best Android phone we can