Android 16 goes official next month, but a new beta will bring Expressive design even sooner
Summary
- Android 16 is on track for a stable release in June, arriving first on Pixel devices.
- Google is also preparing a new beta, likely the first Android 16 QPR1 beta, expected by the end of May, which will offer an early look at the “Material 3 Expressive” redesign with features like blur effects and updated UI elements. This redesign will not be part of the initial stable Android 16 release.
- Current Android 16 beta users must opt out of the program soon to receive the stable June update; otherwise, they will be automatically enrolled in the QPR1 beta, gaining early access to the expressive redesign but potentially missing the initial stable release.
Google gave the world a significant new look at its upcoming major operating system (OS) update at the Android Show today.
Android 16, which hit platform stability in March, followed by a subsequent Beta 4 to fix major issues in April, is coming to a Pixel device near you very soon.
A Google spokesperson told Android Police that Android 16 will be available in public release in June. More importantly, though, the tech giant isn’t stopping there — it hinted that it has another beta up its sleeve before stable comes knocking, one that could bring a lot more of Android’s ‘Material 3 Expressive’ elements to your phone.
We’ve seen leaks and rumors about Android’s potential ‘expressive’ redesign for the better part of 2025. The significant UI refresh is expected to bring more background blur effects, redesigned status bar icons, new icon shapes, an updated Quick Settings panel, a cleaner lock screen, refreshed volume controls, and a lot more. The current Android 16 beta builds only offer a very limited sneak peek at Material 3 Expressive, but that is expected to change later this month.
Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 is imminent
Google tells us that the expressive redesign won’t be part of [the] public release in June, with the refresh coming “later this year” for Pixel devices first, likely as part of a Feature Drop.
Google will, however, drop a new Android 16 beta “by the end of this month” that will unlock Material 3 Expressive’s design elements for users that don’t want to wait until September (or potentially even December). We’re not entirely sure what the yet-unnamed release could be called, but it could very well be the first Android 16 QPR1 beta, serving as the early testing ground for the expressive redesign.
What this also means is that those currently enrolled in Android 16’s beta program have a decision to make. To receive the stable Android 16 update in June, users would need to manually hop out of beta in the coming days. This will ensure that they can install the stable build when it comes knocking. Otherwise, users will automatically be enrolled in the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, unlocking access to the expressive redesign but missing out on stable.
By the end of this month, you’ll see more [Material 3 Expressive] in the Android beta that will be available, and then the rest of our Google applications throughout the rest of the year.
