14-02-2025
Android 16 Beta 2 is here with new camera controls for apps, UltraHDR for HEIC
Android 16 Beta 2 includes camera updates, including manual controls and color adjustment.
The beta also supports UltraHDR images in HEIC format and features from the ISO 21496-1 draft standard.
Android 16 Beta 2 enforces edge-to-edge display and simplifies user-driven live wallpapers.
The second Android 16 beta build is available today. Like the first one, Android 16 Beta 2 still doesn't look like it'll have much for non-developer enthusiasts to chew on, but it does feature a number of behind-the-scenes tweaks that'll inform the Android experience in the months and years to come.
A lot of Android 16 Beta 2 is about camera and media features. Android 16 Beta 2 adds hybrid auto-exposure modes to Android's Camera2 package, which will let developers create camera modes that allow for manual control over ISO or exposure time while the system automatically handles other aspects of exposure — think the Pixel 9 Pro's manual camera options. The new beta also allows for finer adjustments to color temperature and tint, which Google says will be a boon for video applications.
The new beta also previews Android 16's support for UltraHDR images in the HEIC file format — the one Apple uses for photos taken on iPhones. Additionally, Google says that Android 16 incorporates "additional parameters in UltraHDR" from the ISO 21496-1 draft standard. On its face, that won't mean much for end users, but adherence to widely recognized standards will make for simpler cross-device development.
Elsewhere, Android 16 Beta 2 will begin enforcing mandatory support for Android's edge-to-edge feature that removes the black bars under navigation controls and the status bar when apps are displayed in full-screen. Apps targeting Android 16 will no longer have the option to opt out of displaying content edge to edge. Google warns that this change could potentially cause compatibility issues — though, again, that's something for app developers to worry about.
Google says that "user-driven" live wallpapers — that is, ones that aren't provided by your device's manufacturer — will be easier to make and manage on Android 16, "streamlining the process for (developers) to create diverse and personalized live wallpaper experiences."
That's not all Android 16 Beta 2 introduces. There are also changes to features like app permissions to access data from wearable devices; text handling for certain languages that use character sets other than the Latin alphabet, like Arabic and Telugu; and a new system setting that lets users define which units of measurement they prefer. For more of the nitty-gritty, check out Google's developer documentation.
Android 16 Beta 2 is available today on Pixel phones (Pixel 6 or newer) and the Pixel Tablet. You can sign up to try it at Google's Android beta site. We're still expecting a stable Android 16 release in late spring.
