Android 15 is the latest version of Android you'll find on retail devices, but Google is already running a public test of Android 16. The second developer preview has just been released with a raft of tweaks and improvements for the phone's of tomorrow, including a new mode for the latest Pixel fingerprint sensors. However, don't get too excited -- the developer preview is hard to install, and it's much buggier than beta releases of Android.

Google's developer previews are so named because they focus on the low-level changes that devs have to address to make apps work correctly on the new OS. So, some of the flashy user-facing features won't show up until later in the development process. Probably the biggest new addition to Android 16 in this update is specific to the Pixel 9 series. Android 16 will make it quicker to unlock the phone with biometrics.

In Android 16 DP2, there's a new toggle in the security settings to use the fingerprint sensor when the screen is off. This option is only available to the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL because those phones have ultrasonic fingerprint sensors under the displays. Previous Pixel phones, and most phones in general, have optical fingerprint sensors that illuminate the screen to scan your finger. If you left that sensor active all the time, it would be constantly lighting up when the phone was asleep.

There are some smaller changes to Android 16 DP2 as well. The updated OS also adds the option to take notes from the lock screen using Google Keep, which is more deeply integrated with the OS. In the Bluetooth settings, battery levels are now shown as rings around items. This was previously shown in the Android 15 QPR2 beta, but it will come to more phones as part of Android 16.

This is most likely the final developer preview of Android 16. Early next year, we expect the new OS will graduate to a beta release. That will be easier to install on Pixel phones, and it will include more user-facing features. After a few beta updates, the final build will arrive in the first half of 2025. This is earlier than in past years, which saw new versions of Android in the fall. Google says there will be a second, smaller Android update at the end of 2025. This schedule should mean more new devices will launch with the latest version of the OS.