The first Android 16 developer preview is now available for Pixel devices. Google has decided to release Android 16 earlier than usual, which is why the developer preview is already live. If you’re eager to test Android 16 on your Pixel phone, this is the only guide you need. Here I will explain how to Install Android 16 on Pixel phones.
Google will release Android 16 in the second quarter of 2025. There will be multiple releases throughout the year, but this one will be the major SDK release with new features.
Android 15 wasn’t a big update like Android 12 or Android 14, so hoping Android 16 to bring some impressive changes. We will talk about Android 16 features in a separate article. Here we will discuss eligible models and how to try Android 16.
Before we head on to the installation guide, you would want to ensure your device is eligible for Android 16. Below you can check the list of Android 16 eligible Pixel devices.
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
- Pixel 8a
- Pixel 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold
If your device is on the list, you can install Android 16 on your device.
How to Install Android 16 on Pixel
Android 16 is currently available in Developer Preview which is no where close to the stable build. It may have many bugs including major ones, so avoid installing the Android 16 DP1 on your primary device. The developer preview is mainly for developers and enthusiast who don’t care about bugs. Having said that, now let’s discuss the methods to install Android 16.
You can either use Android Flash Tool to install Android 16 or you can also download the system factory image to install it manually. Of course the Android Flash tool method is the easiest of all the methods. All the methods require you to unlock bootloader of your phone, so let’s start with that.
Unlock Bootloader of Pixel Phone
This will erase all data, so make sure to backup your data to restore it later.
- Go to Settings > About Phone. Look for Build Number and tap seven time on it to enable developer options.
- Now go back to Settings, then System > Advanced > Developer Options.
- In Developer Options, enable USB Debugging and OEM unlocking. If OEM unlocking greyed out connect your phone to Internet or enter *#*#CHECKIN#*#* in the Dialer app.
- Once both options enabled, connect your Phone with PC using USB cable.
Rest of the process depend on the method you are choosing. So let’s jump on to the methods.
Install Android 16 using Android Flash Tool
Android Flash Tool is the official web based flashing tool for Pixel phones. To use this tool, you need to enable developer options, USB debugging, and OEM unlocking on your phone as mentioned above.
- Connect your Phone with your PC using USB cable. Don’t disconnect until the process is complete.
- On your PC, go to flash.android.com address on a supported web browser like Google Chrome.
- You will get a pop-up for ADB access, allow it and your phone will be connected.
- Select your phone and then click on the build you want to install such as Android 16 DP1 or newer if available.
- Next tap on Install build. Read the instructions and Confirm.
- If your phone’s bootloader is not unlocked, you will get a pop-up. Select Start on the pop-up.
- Your phone will boot into bootloader, using Volume buttons navigate to ‘unlock the bootloader’ option and then press Power button.
- Bootloader will be unlocked and the installation process will began. You can track the progress on your PC.
- Once the installation is complete, you will get the option to lock bootloader. If you don’t want to lock the bootloader, then you can hit cancel. But if you want to lock, then hit Start. Again using Volume buttons navigate to ‘Lock the bootloader’ and press Power button.
- Now you can use Android 16 on your Pixel phone.
In future you will receive upcoming beta build directly on your phone.
Flash Android 16 System Factory Image
For this method you will need Factory Image for your device, which you can download from this page. Also make sure to enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking from the steps above.
- Downloaded the sdk platform tools. Extract it on your PC and remember the extracted folder location.
- Extract the Factory Image that you have downloaded on your computer. Copy the extracted factory image files inside the sdk platform tools folder.
- Now connect your pixel phone to your PC using USB. Open cmd (command prompt) at the sdk platform folder location. Follow this guide to open cmd at specific location. You can also use cd command to navigate to the required directory.
- In the command windows enter the following command to check if device is connected.
adb devices
- The above command will return your device id. If not, you must have got a pop-up on your phone, Allow debugging and try the same command again. Once connected, enter the below adb command to enter fastboot mode.
adb reboot bootloader
- Once your phone is in fastboot mode, enter the below command to unlock bootloader (It will wipe all the data from your phone).
fastboot flashing unlock
- If you see confirmation, select Yes or Confirm using physical buttons. And wait for the unlock. Your device bootloader will be unlocked.
- Now you need to flash the flash-all file. For windows flash .bat file and for mac flash the .sh file. for this type the name of the file with extension and press enter. Example for windows you can enter:
flash-all.bat
- It will now install the Android 16 on your Pixel. And after that your phone will reboot into the system.
If you want, you can now relock the bootloader using the below command. Boot your phone to fastboot mode following the same steps as above and then execute the below command.
Fastboot flashing lock
So these are the two ways to install Android 16 on Pixel phone. In case something goes wrong, you can recover the device by installing OTA images that you can download from here.
Flash OTA Image
You can flash OTA image if your phone not booting after installing Android 16. You can also follow this process to install upcoming beta builds if you don’t receive them over the air.
- Download and extract platform tools on your PC. Go to the extracted sdk folder, and open the cmd or terminal in that location. You can also use cd command to set the location to sdk folder. Follow this to open cmd at any specific location.
- Now execute the following command to check if device is connected through adb:
adb devices
- If you see some device id, then your phone is connected. If not allow the debugging and execute the same command. Once the device is connected, enter the next command to recovery mode.
adb reboot recovery
- Now you can run the following command to sideload the ota zip file. Make sure to rename your ota zip file to ota_file.zip.
adb sideload ota_file.zip
- Once the sideload is done, reboot your phone by selecting your Reboot system now.
So that’s all for this guide. In case you have any queries, let us know in the comments.
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