Google has unveiled the first developer preview of Android 15, although it’s a day behind schedule. This early glimpse of the next version of Android underscores Google’s commitment to enhancing productivity, media experiences, and overall app efficiency. Android 15 also focuses on increasing battery life while improving privacy and security on many devices.
Enhanced Privacy and Security
Key features introduced with Android 15 aim to secure user data more effectively:
- The Privacy Sandbox in Android AD services has been upgraded to Level 10, introducing a new privacy sandbox for personalized ads that respects user privacy.
- The Android 14 extension provides a secure way to manage and share health information collected by Health Connect apps from 10.
- File Integrity brings File Integrity Manager with advanced security features to prevent unauthorized changes or malware threats using fs-verity.
- Partial screen sharing allows specific app window sharing or recording, increasing user consent and privacy.
Empowering Creators
Android 15 introduces several features aimed at supporting content creators:
- In-app camera controls: Give creators more power over camera settings, enhancing low-light capture and flash adjustments.
- Virtual MIDI 2.0 devices: Provide improved support for Virtual MIDI apps, making it easier to manage the synthesizer for composition apps.
Boosting Performance and Quality
This update prioritizes app performance:
- Improve dynamic performance, power efficiency, and thermal management through the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF).
Developer Productivity Improvements
With Android 15, developers gain access to the new Open JDK API and enjoy enhancements that simplify their work, ensuring broad compatibility across devices running Android 12 and beyond.
Planned Timeline and Updates
Google has laid out a broad timeline for Android 15 development, including several phases leading up to the final release:
- February: Launch of Developer Preview 1 to collect developer feedback.
- March: Developer Preview 2 with additional features and tweaks.
- April to August: A series of beta releases ending with the release of the final version to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and the broader ecosystem.
Platform Stability Milestone
Expected by June 2024, the platform stability milestone on Beta 3 will signal the finalization of APIs and system behavior, which will guide developers toward the release phase.
Getting Started With Android 15
Android 15 Developer Preview 1 is available for Pixel devices from the Pixel 6 series to the Pixel 8 series, including the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. This preview is intended for developers for testing and is not recommended for general use.
Google is inviting developers to test the Developer Preview and provide feedback as part of preparations for the full Android 15 launch.
