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.

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."

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?

Development on Android 16 is progressing quickly, and ahead of the projected late spring/early summer arrival Google has just released the very first beta version. Unlike Apple, which splits up public and developer betas,

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.