Emir BardakçıIn a surprise move that has thrilled developers as well as enthusiasts, Xiaomi has formally released the HyperOS developer preview based on Android 16 Beta 2, becoming one of the largest manufacturers to support Google’s newest system. This is a thrilling development that enables users of the flagship Xiaomi 15 and the feature-packed Redmi K70 Ultra (worldwide known as the Xiaomi 14T Pro) to get a taste of the state-of-the-art features of the latest iteration of Android as developers get their apps attuned for compatibility.
What This Means for Xiaomi Customers
The public release of this developer preview reflects Xiaomi’s dedication to leadership status in Android development and timely provision of software upgrades for its flagship models. Based on HyperOS 2, this Android 16 Beta brings Xiaomi users a step closer to being able to embrace the newest technological advancements from Google as well as Xiaomi’s own R&D team.
Developers are free to proceed with the testing and refining of their applications, then seamlessly roll them out as the stable release later becomes available to the general user base. This advance release will result in valuable preparation time that ultimately translates to all Xiaomi users in the form of lessened compatibility issues on the final release.
Major Features in the Android 16 Beta
Although the full feature set is not yet documented, initial observations point towards several important enhancements:
- Increased privacy controls with finer-grained permissions
- Enhanced algorithms for battery management
- New system UI animations and design language
- Enhanced AI functionality across the operating system
- Enhanced multi-tab handling
The integration with HyperOS 2 provides another enhancement layer of Xiaomi-specific features in addition to Google’s main features in Android 16, forming a distinct, powerful, and special user experience available only on Xiaomi devices.
Upcoming Tablet Support
Interestingly, we’ve learned that Xiaomi has already built an Android 16 Beta for the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro, though the update has yet to be released. This shows Xiaomi’s commitment to bringing the Android 16 experience to its device ecosystem beyond smartphones.
The move to port a tablet variant reflects Xiaomi’s commitment to a unified approach to software development, allowing consistency across varying devices and enabling developers to utilize the tools required to deliver responsive apps for the full Xiaomi product range.
Developers who are interested in joining the beta program can get full instructions as well as download links in the upcoming official announcement, which should be posted on the Xiaomi Community forum shortly after a Weibo initial post.
Source: Xiaomi Weibo
