Android 16 Beta 3 now out, Platform Stability milestone reached

As expected, Google is now releasing the third beta of Android 16. With it comes the Platform Stability milestone, and after this there should only be one additional beta release, meant to fix bugs and resolve any outstanding issues. That one will arrive in April, according to Google's timeline which you can see below.

The final release of Android 16 is scheduled to land on Google's supported Pixels in the second quarter of the year, so by the end of June. Then, a minor Android release will arrive in the fourth quarter - between October and December. This is the first time in many years that Google has changed the way it releases new Android versions.

Android 16 Beta 3 comes with Auracast broadcast audio support for compatible LE Audio hearing aids and outline text for users with low vision (which replaces high contrast text). This draws a larger contrasting area around text to "greatly improve legibility".

There's also incipient support for Local Network Protection, a feature which is "planned for a future Android major release" and will give you more control over which apps can access devices on your local network. This is currently only an opt-in feature for app developers.

Google says it's "putting additional energy" into working with its device partners to bring Android 16 "to as many devices as possible".

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