How to Install Android 16 Developer Preview on Your Pixel Phone

Nov. 20, 2024

It feels strange to say that the first Android 16 Developer Preview is here already because Android 15 landed on Pixel phones only a month back. While Android 16 Developer Preview 1 doesn’t bring any notable features besidesNotification Cooldown, you can get on the bandwagon early to test out all of the new features Google will add in its next OS update. If you cannot wait to try out the new flavor of Android, here’s how to install Android 16 DP1 on your Pixel phone right now.

Prerequisites to Installing Android 16 Developer Preview

If the above method doesn’t work, you can manually unlock the bootloader, download theAndroid 16 DP1 ZIP filefor your Pixel, and manually flash it. Refer to the last section of ourAndroid 15 DP1installation guide.

Android developer previews are only available on Pixels at the moment, and here are the supported devices:

It is surprising to see Pixel 6 phones make the list considering it already received Android 15 and the support for major updates for the phone already ended in October. It’s worth noting that Android 16 DP1 isn’t available as an OTA update rather you will need to do a manual flash, whichwill factory reset your phone.

So, remember to back up your data before proceeding. Also, we recommend you do not install these DP builds on your daily driver as they may be unstable and sometimes break your phone.

That’s how you can install Android 16 Developer Preview on your Pixel. If you are wondering about all-newAndroid 16 featuresyou should check out after installing the build, we have you covered.