TL;DR
- The Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL can now run Android 16 through official support in LineageOS 23, years after Google ended updates.
- The update is based on Android 16’s initial release, not newer QPR builds, so some later features aren’t included.
- Installing LineageOS requires unlocking the phone and manually installing new software, which may not suit everyone.
That relic of a device that’s gathering dust in your drawer might still have a lease of life in it yet. Google officially stopped updating the Pixel 4 back in 2022, but the phone is now getting Android 16 anyway — just not from Google.
As spotted by Android Police, the LineageOS team has officially added support for the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL as part of LineageOS 23. The Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, Pixel 5, and Pixel 5a are also now supported. That’s the project’s Android 16-based release, and the “official” status means the maintainers consider it stable enough for everyday use, with core features working as expected.