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."

Development on Android 16 is progressing quickly, and ahead of the projected l ate spring/early summer arrival Google has just released the very first beta version. Unlike Apple, which splits up public and developer betas, Android 16 beta is available to everyone — provided they have an eligible Pixel device.

First, you'll need to have a newer Pixel phone. Anything from a Pixel 6 and newer should work. From there, it's simple. Just go to google.com/android/beta and opt-in, using the device on which you want to use the beta. Once you enroll, you'll get updates as a part of the beta. From there, you can test all the new features.

Now that Android 16 Beta 1 is official, we’ll be diving in to look for meaningful changes that you should be aware of. Google gave us the details on developer-focused changes, but what about the fun new toys you might want to look at or play with?

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.