- Samsung managed to release its Android 16-based One UI 8 update so quickly by adopting Google’s new “Trunk Stable” development model.
- Instead of using separate branches for new versions, all development now happens on a single, stable codebase with features hidden behind flags until ready.
- This trunk-based approach avoids the time-consuming “merge conflicts” of the old model, enabling a much faster release schedule for Google and Samsung.
While Google’s Pixel devices were the first to receive the Android 16 update last month, they weren’t the first to launch with the new OS. That honor, surprisingly, went to Samsung. The company launched its new Z Fold and Z Flip devices this month with One UI 8, just one month after Android 16’s public release. This quick turnaround was a notable improvement on Samsung’s part, and it was made possible by some big changes to how it develops One UI. Here’s what the company did.
Traditionally, Google developed Android using a branch-based model. For each new version, it would create a separate branch of code, adding features until development was frozen for release. The company would then merge this new branch back into Android’s main internal development branch.