Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Thanks to Google’s preponed release timeline, Android 16 has been out for Pixels since June.
- Samsung also launched phones with stable One UI 8 in July. The company has confirmed that more Galaxy devices will receive the stable update this month.
- Meanwhile, other Android manufacturers, such as OPPO, Xiaomi,vivo, and OnePlus, are now expected to announce their Android 16-based updates by October, which is far behind Google and Samsung’s rollout.
Google launched Android 16 for Pixel devices in June, while Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Flip 7 FE with stable One UI 8 based on Android 16 in July. Other Android OEMs have been running Android 16-based developer betas for some of their flagships, and for a while, it seemed that these OEMs would be quicker than Samsung in releasing the Android 16 stable update to their devices. A new leak suggests that might not be the case, as several OEMs are now said to be preparing for their Android 16-based platform update announcements by October.
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Leaker Yogesh Brar has shared that announcements for OPPO’s Color OS 16, OnePlus’ Oxygen OS 16, vivo’s Origin OS 6 and Funtouch OS 16, and Xiaomi’s Hyper OS 3 (Global) are expected by October.
The wording also leaves room for announcements in September. However, even with announcements in September, most users will likely have to wait until October and beyond to get stable Android 16, as these companies have yet to massively expand their beta programs to include more devices from their product lineup. Note that some OEMs have shown off their Android 16-based updates in China, but we’re awaiting an announcement for the global market.
It is looking likely that Samsung will end up rolling out stable One UI 8 to more of its devices before these other OEMs announce and begin their stable rollout. Samsung has officially confirmed that stable One UI 8 will expand to more Galaxy devices beyond the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 in September. The company has also started beta programs for older flagships and even its mid-range phones, so it’s looking all set to deliver on its promise.
Overall, Android 16’s rollout outside Pixel smartphones has been disappointing. Despite Google releasing Android 16 on a preponed timeline, very few non-Pixel phones and tablets have the latest platform update in beta form, and even fewer have it in its stable avatar. Apple’s iOS rollout remains the gold standard for mobile OS updates, and Android still has plenty of catching up to do.
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