Google dropped Android 16 QPR2 Beta 2 last week, and it's now at platform stability - meaning the APIs are final and you can start testing against it without worrying about things changing underneath you.
A few things in this release caught my attention, especially the Developer Verification requirement that's coming next year.
The Developer Verification Thing
This is the big one. Starting September 2026, apps will need to be verified during installation on certified Android devices. Before you panic about sideloading dying - it's not. ADB installs still work fine for development and testing.
What this actually means: if someone downloads an APK from a random website and tries to install it, Android will check if it's been verified. The goal is fighting malware distribution, not making developers' lives harder.
You have over a year to prepare, and if you're distributing through the Play Store, you're already covered. If you distribute APKs directly (enterprise apps, beta testing outside Play), you'll need to look into the verification APIs.
SMS OTP Security Change
This one might actually affect some apps. Messages containing an SMS Retriever hash will now be delayed by 3 hours before non-default SMS apps can read them.
The reasoning makes sense - it stops malicious apps from intercepting OTPs the moment they arrive. Your default SMS app, phone dialer, and assistant apps are exempt, so users won't notice anything different.
If your app relies on SMS Retriever for auto-reading OTPs, test this. The 3-hour delay shouldn't matter for most authentication flows (users will have typed the code manually by then), but if you have edge cases, now's the time to find them.
New Garbage Collector
The new Generational CMC garbage collector is the kind of change I appreciate - better performance without touching any code. Google claims reduced CPU usage during GC and fewer of those annoying GC pauses that cause jank.
I haven't profiled apps on this beta yet, but if it helps with the occasional stutter during list scrolling when GC kicks in, I'm all for it. No action needed on your part - it just works.
Health Connect Updates
If you're building fitness apps, Health Connect got some useful additions:
- Automatic step tracking from device sensors (no app required)
- Weight and resistance tracking for strength workouts
- Set index tracking (finally - tracking individual sets was painful before)
- Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) for workout intensity
The automatic step tracking is interesting for users who want basic activity tracking without installing a fitness app.
The New SDK Versioning
Here's something that'll affect how you write version checks. QPR releases now have their own SDK version, so checking features requires a new approach:
// Old way - still works for major versions
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.ANDROID_16) {
// Android 16 features
}
// New way - for QPR-specific features
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT_FULL >= Build.VERSION_CODES.ANDROID_16_QPR2) {
// Android 16 QPR2 features
}
Use SDK_INT_FULL when you need features introduced in a specific QPR release.
Custom Icon Shapes
Users can now apply different icon shapes system-wide - circles, squircles, rounded squares, whatever. This doesn't require any developer work. If you're using adaptive icons (which you should be by now), it just works.
Should You Test Against This?
If you're actively developing an Android app, yes. Platform stability means the APIs won't change, so any issues you find now are real issues.
Focus on:
- Apps using SMS Retriever - test the 3-hour delay behavior
- Health and fitness apps - check the new Health Connect data types
- Any conditional code checking SDK versions - make sure your logic handles the new versioning
Most apps won't need changes. But spending an hour testing on the beta beats getting bug reports after release.
Timeline
- Now: Beta 2 available, platform stable
- Q4 2025: Final release expected
- September 2026: Developer Verification enforcement begins
The new UI stuff with Material 3 Expressive is also worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.
Full details in the official Android Developers Blog post.
