Google has launched the first Android 16 beta to developers and early adopters, providing insight into what the OS will bring later this year. A post on the official Android Developers Blog reveals multiple quality-of-life changes, such as ending screen orientation and resizability restrictions for apps "on large screens."

Google today officially released Android 16 Beta 1 for Pixel smartphones, two months after the developer preview was released in November. This means that if you have a Pixel phone ranging from the Pixel 6 to the Pixel 9 series (and even the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet!

The first Android 16 beta dropped this week — and it's ready for you to give it a whirl. If you're one of the folks who likes to have things first, it might be the perfect opportunity for you to test-run the latest operating system for Android.

The first Android 16 beta could launch today, with big changes to how notifications are handled on your device. One key feature in the new update is a “compact” option for notifications. This would let users collapse alerts into a “shelf” on the lock screen.