You can get Android 16 in any of the following ways:
- Get Android 16 on a Google Pixel device
- Set up the Android Emulator
- Get a generic system image (GSI)
Get Android 16 Beta on a Google Pixel device
The easiest way to get Android 16 on a supported Google Pixel device is to enroll your device in the Android Beta for Pixel program.Enrolling is a simple and fast process, and it's highly recommended for early adopters and developers. In most cases, you don't need to do a full reset of your data to move to the Android 16 Beta, but it's recommended that you back up data before enrolling your device.
Once enrolled, your device will receive regular over-the-air (OTA) updates for the duration of the platform's release cycle—including Quarterly Platform Releases (QPRs)—unless you opt out earlier.
During the Android Beta for Pixel program's release cycle, there are four stable releases to the public (the official platform release followed by three Quarterly Platform Releases). When you apply a stable release update, you can opt out of future Beta updates without a data wipe for a limited time (until you apply the next Beta update, if you choose to do so).
Enroll in Android 16 Beta for Pixel
Supported Google Pixel devices
Android 16 OTAs and downloads are available for the following Pixel devices:
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold
Flash or manually install a system image
Alternatively, if you'd rather flash your device, we recommend using the Android Flash Tool. If you need to flash your device manually for some other reason, you can get an Android 16 system image for your device on the Pixel downloads page. See the general instructions on the downloads page for how to flash a system image to your device. This approach can be useful when you need more control over testing, such as for automated testing or regression testing. Android 16 Beta images are available for supported Pixel devices.Set up the Android Emulator
Configuring the Android Emulator to run Android 16 is a great solution for exploring new features and APIs and testing Android 16 behavior changes. Setting up the emulator is fast and convenient and lets you emulate various screen sizes and device characteristics.
Depending on the type of testing you need to do, consider setting up a variety of virtual devices from these device categories:
Set up a virtual device (phone)
To set up a virtual device to emulate a typical phone, follow these steps:
- Install the latest Preview version of Android Studio.
- In Android Studio, click Tools > SDK Manager.
- In the SDK Tools tab, select the latest version of Android Emulator, and click OK. This action installs the latest version if it isn't already installed.
In Android Studio, click Tools > Device Manager, then click Add a new device
> Create
Virtual Device in the Device Manager panel.
Select a device definition for a supported Pixel device in the Phone Category tab, then click Next.
Find the Android 16 system image, called Baklava, and click Download
next to the Release Name to get it. After the download completes, select
this system image and click Next.Finalize other settings for your virtual device, then click Finish.
After returning to the list of virtual devices in the Device Manager, find your Android 16 virtual device and click Start
.
Set up a virtual device (tablet or large-screen)
To set up a virtual device to emulate a tablet or other large-screen device, follow these steps:
- Install the latest Preview version of Android Studio.
- In Android Studio, click Tools > SDK Manager.
- In the SDK Tools tab, select the latest version of Android Emulator, and click OK. This action installs the latest version if it isn't already installed.
In Android Studio, click Tools > Device Manager, then click Add a new device
> Create
Virtual Device in the Device Manager panel.Select a device definition with a large screen, such as the Pixel Tablet in the Tablet Category tab or the Pixel Fold in the Phone Category tab, then click Next.
Find the Android 16 system image, called Baklava, and click Download
next to the Release Name to get it. After the download completes, select
this system image and click Next.Finalize other settings for your virtual device, then click Finish.
After returning to the list of virtual devices in the Device Manager, find your Android 16 virtual device and click Start
.
Repeat these steps to create large screen device definitions that you can use to test your app in a variety of large screen scenarios.
Resizable emulator
In addition to large screen virtual devices that you can configure for Android 16, you can try the resizable device configuration. When you're using a resizable device definition with an Android 16 system image, the Android Emulator lets you quickly toggle between the three reference devices: phone, foldable, and tablet. When using the foldable reference device, you can also toggle between folded and unfolded states.
This flexibility makes it easier to both validate your layout at design time and test the behavior at runtime, using the same reference devices. To create a new resizable emulator, use the Device Manager in Android Studio to create a new virtual device and select the Resizable device definition in the Phone category.
Get a generic system image (GSI)
Android Generic System Image (GSI) binaries are available to developers for app testing and validation purposes on supported Treble-compliant devices. You can use these images to address any compatibility issues as well as discover and report OS and framework issues.
See the GSI documentation for device requirements, flashing instructions, and information on choosing the right image type for your device. Once you're ready to download a GSI binary, see the Downloads section on the GSI binaries page.
More information
To learn about which changes might affect you, and to learn how to test these changes in your app, read the following topics:
To learn more about new APIs and features available in Android 16, read Android 16 features.