These are all the major changes in Android 16’s Developer Preview 1

Seemingly out of nowhere, Google has seeded the first developer preview build of its upcoming Android 16 update. Normally, these previews don’t come out until early in the new year, making for a novel development cycle this time around.

While this preview build is primarily intended for developers, it’s possible for anyone to download and install it onto Pixel 6 series and newer devices. Unless you know what you’re getting into, I’d advise on holding off for now — down the line, beta builds will be available, which are generally far more stable.

In the meantime, here’s what’s new in Android 16 Developer Preview 1, and why these additions and enhancements are significant.

1 Say hello to Baklava

No, the next version of Android doesn’t start with a ‘W’

Google / Pocket-lint

We now have official confirmation that Android 16’s code name is Baklava. Google has a storied history when it comes to dessert-named software releases, with last year’s Android 15 being known internally as Vanilla Ice Cream. Normally, Google comes up with these names in alphabetical order, which makes Baklava an unlikely choice. For those unaware, Baklava is a pastry dessert made of filo, which is popular in Eastern European and Near Eastern cuisine.

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2 Notification cooldown is back once again

This one is a major quality-of-life improvement

If you’ve ever turned on an older smartphone before, you’ve probably experienced the following inevitability: a bombardment of outdated notifications. The new notification cooldown feature takes aim at this problem, by automatically lowering the volume of incoming alerts.

When enabled, the feature is triggered specifically when numerous notifications come in at the same time. As someone who switches between handsets on a regular basis, this is a very welcome addition. It was previously in testing in Android 15, and I’m glad to see it back in this latest build of Google’s operating system.

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3 Audio sharing has finally arrived

It’s the digital equivalent of those old-school headphone splitters

Audio sharing is a new feature designed to allow easy multi-user playback of audio content. For compatibility, both users need Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) compliant headphones. Once enabled, audio sharing should work not unlike those old-school headphone splitter peripherals that many of us grew up with. You and a friend can simultaneously listen to the same song, podcast, or audiobook, and can do so using your own pair of headphones and a single host device. For what it’s worth, Apple has introduced its own version of this same feature, which works with the company’s AirPods products.

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4 The Settings app has received a (minor) facelift

Everything is laid out within categorized bubbles now

With this first developer preview build, Google has tweaked Android’s main Settings app interface, but only in the most minor of ways. The company has segmented top-level settings based on commonality, which roughly aligns with how other operating systems take care of things. Personally, I don’t know if I’m a fan of this redesign. As minor as it is, I find myself preferring the minimalism of the previous rendition. Of course, with time, I imagine this new design will grow on me.

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