Google announced that Android 16 Beta 2 will be released on Thursday, February 13. The preview comes from the @AndroidDev X account, which tweeted, “Be on the lookout for Android 16 Beta 2 dropping tomorrow.”
Beta 1 didn’t bring many user-facing changes and was mainly focused on updates for app developers. It’s unclear if Beta 2 will introduce more significant changes, especially to the user interface.
Google officially describes it as an “Incremental Beta-quality release.”
It will be interesting to see how much of a presence Android 16 has at upcoming events. Google’s current timeline for Android 16 goes up to “Beta 4” in April, which leaves open the possibility of another “near-final build” in May. In the past, Google has used its developer conference to announce major updates, but the earlier preview cycle this year makes that schedule less certain.
Android 16 is also set to bring major updates to Google’s Health Connect app. According to a report, the new version will add support for medical records, which could improve how users interact with their health data. Health Connect acts as a secure hub that allows multiple health apps to share information.
This helps address the common problem of having health data spread across different platforms.
Fitbit records integration in Android
Users can get a more complete picture of their well-being as Health Connect brings together data from compatible apps.
Whether it’s tracking daily steps, monitoring sleep quality, or logging meals, Health Connect puts all this information in one place. Many popular health and fitness apps already work with Health Connect, including Google Fit, Samsung Health, MyFitnessPal, Oura, Withings, Flo, Lifesum, and Dexcom. The addition of medical records could make the app even more useful for managing health.
Other new features coming in Android 16 include a Privacy Dashboard that lets users review a week’s worth of data, Audio Sharing to stream audio to multiple Bluetooth devices at once, and Notification Cooldown which gradually lowers the volume of notifications from the same app. The first developer preview of Android 16, called DP1, was released on November 19. It included the new Audio Sharing, Privacy Dashboard, and notification features.
Google also revealed which Pixel phone models will be able to run the Android 16 preview. Android 16 is expected to fully launch to the public before the end of the year. Users can look forward to a range of new health and privacy features that will enhance their experience on Android devices.
