With Android 16 developer preview now live, Google's Privacy Sandbox is finally on Android

Google has just launched the first Android 16 Developer Preview, and with that, the Mountain View tech giant is tightening its security belt.

The first developer preview of Android 16 offers early access to features like an embedded photo picker, expanded medical data-sharing feature through Health Connect APIs, and the latest Privacy Sandbox updates for privacy.

Launched initially a little over three years ago, Google previously mentioned in October that the Privacy Sandbox initiative on Android will introduce a new SDK Runtime to limit third-party data access and privacy-preserving APIs for safer ad personalization.

These changes will then roll out over several years, with current tools like Advertising ID remaining in place for at least two more years.

But that’s not without challenges, though. This month, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) continued to scrutinize the Privacy Sandbox initiative, despite the company’s shift away from fully eliminating third-party cookies.

The CMA had concerns about how Google controls certain APIs, such as Topics, Protected Audience, and Attribution Reporting, which could affect competition in digital advertising.

Android 16 Developer Preview release is on a faster schedule to match 2025 phone launches, so third-party devices get updates sooner. We can expect Android 16’s public beta in January 2025, with the final release likely following the Google I/O event in May.

“We’ll update the preview system images and SDK regularly throughout the Android 16 release cycle. This initial preview release is for developers only and not intended for daily or consumer use, so we’re making it available by manual download only,” the company promises.

The Android 16 Developer Preview is available for the following Pixel devices: Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and Pixel 9 models. These devices can be used to flash the preview builds, though the Android Beta OTA program does not support them.