A rundown of what’s new and improved in Android 15

After previews astatine Google I/O 2024 and months of testing, the finished mentation of Android 15 is present disposable for developers.

That doesn’t mean it’s retired for users conscionable yet: according to Google, it’ll beryllium a fewer weeks earlier it arrives connected Pixels and past volition get to Samsung and different prime devices “in the coming months.” As accustomed with Android, the bundle volition travel with a assortment of antithetic tweaks and variations depending connected the marque of your phone.

In presumption of the halfway Android 15 functionality that Google, Samsung, and others are gathering connected apical of, here’s immoderate of what’s caller with this release.

Better multitasking

Android 15 volition amended the multitasking acquisition connected tablets and large-screen displays by enabling you to pin the taskbar permanently connected the surface for a much desktop-like experience. What’s more, split-screen app combinations tin beryllium saved to bring backmost later. These app pairs tin beryllium pinned to the taskbar, too.

Private space

Android 15 is adding a caller unafraid determination connected your telephone — a backstage space — truthful you tin fastener distant your astir delicate apps and the information wrong them. If you usage a Samsung phone, there’s already thing akin called Secure Folder, but present it’s going to beryllium baked into Android for each users.

It works by creating a caller conception successful the app drawer that volition request other verification (like a passcode oregon fingerprint) to access. You tin instal immoderate apps you similar here, including abstracted instances of the Camera, Google Photos, and Google Chrome for photos, videos, and websites that you truly don’t privation anyone other to see.

Predictive back

This oddly named diagnostic means you spot a speedy preview of what you’re going backmost to erstwhile you usage the cosmopolitan backmost motion (a swipe successful from the broadside of the screen). So, for example, you mightiness spot a website you conscionable near oregon the homescreen — the thought being that users cognize what they’re going backmost to earlier they implicit the gesture.

Partial surface recording

New successful Android 15 is the quality to grounds conscionable portion of the surface alternatively than each of it; this is useful if you’re putting unneurotic a tutorial, troubleshooting a problem, oregon signaling your surface for immoderate different reason. It’s disposable successful Android’s ain surface recorder tool, and developers tin adhd it to their ain apps arsenic well.

Better PDF management

Better PDF controls are arriving with Android 15: features specified arsenic annotations, password protection, and searching wrong PDFs are present supported. Although you whitethorn presently usage an Android app that supports immoderate oregon each of these tricks (including Google Drive), Google has present added enactment for them astatine the operating strategy level.

Redesigned measurement sliders

Perhaps not the astir important alteration but 1 you’ll spot a lot: the sheet that appears erstwhile you pat the 3 dots connected the bottommost of the measurement slider present takes up much country onscreen, making it easier to set volumes for media, alarms, and calls. You’re besides capable to entree connected Bluetooth devices from the aforesaid screen.

Satellite messaging

You tin already nonstop emergency SOS messages connected a Pixel 9 telephone utilizing Android 14 successful the US, but Android 15 adds enactment for SMS, MMS, and RCS messaging via outer networks arsenic well.

Widget previews

Widgets are thing new, of course, but usually, erstwhile you’re adding them to the homescreen, you conscionable spot generic examples of what the widgets look like. In Android 15, developers tin adhd affluent previews to widgets — so, for example, erstwhile you adhd a interaction widget, you’ll beryllium capable to preview however it looks utilizing 1 of your existent contacts.

See amended successful the dark

A mates of utile Android 15 additions volition amended the photograph and video-capturing experience. First, the camera preview volition enactment amended successful debased light, truthful it’s easier to, for example, framework a photograph oregon video, oregon drawback a QR code, erstwhile the lighting is not ideal. Second, there’s much granular power implicit the flash airy level, which means you tin ramp the strength up oregon down arsenic needed.

Set customized vibrations

Android apps person been capable to acceptable their ain customized vibrations, but successful Android 15, you’re going to beryllium capable to set these yourself for circumstantial notification channels. So, you tin person 1 buzz for an email and 2 buzzes for a text, for example.

TalkBack with added AI

The TalkBack accessibility diagnostic is getting an upgrade that volition supply much elaborate representation descriptions. With TalkBack enabled, you tin usage the designated shortcut (set via Accessibility > TalkBack successful Settings) to person immoderate representation onscreen described utilizing a spoken voice, adjacent if nary statement was included with it.

This is already a diagnostic successful Android, but Android 15 and the Gemini Nano AI exemplary means these descriptions volition beryllium much broad and utile and won’t request net access. You volition request Gemini Nano and a telephone that supports it: arsenic of now, that means immoderate Pixel 8, Pixel 9, oregon Galaxy S24 handset, arsenic good arsenic the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

One-time password protection

You whitethorn person accounts you log successful to that are sent to one-time passwords (OTPs) to beryllium you are who you accidental you are. In Android 15, notifications with these OTPs won’t amusement up onscreen, minimizing the hazard of anyone stealing your passwords by looking implicit your enarthrosis oregon someway signaling your screen.

Anti-theft protection

Google is adding a clump of features to deter thieves. Theft Detection Lock, for example, volition usage AI to observe if your telephone is snatched astatine velocity and past automatically crook connected the lockscreen. This auto-lock volition besides footwear successful if your telephone is disconnected the grid for an extended play of clip oregon if excessively galore failed authentication attempts are made.

You’ll besides beryllium capable to much easy fastener your instrumentality remotely. All of these features are heading to devices moving Android 10 oregon aboriginal astatine immoderate constituent this year, but 1 is exclusive to Android 15: your instrumentality can’t beryllium reset (a communal maneuver utilized by thieves) without entree to your Google relationship credentials, which means lone you volition beryllium capable to bash it.

More convenient passkeys

Android 15 is besides bringing with it immoderate utile tweaks to passkey enactment connected your telephone — that’s wherever you usage a telephone unlock method (like a fingerprint scan) alternatively than a password to get into your Google account. In the caller OS, the relationship enactment surface and confirmation surface are combined into one, truthful that’s 1 little surface to get through. Google is besides adding a caller reconstruct diagnostic to marque it easier to transportation your credentials implicit to a caller phone.

And more...

Android updates ever see tweaks and insignificant improvements that don’t needfully drawback a batch of attraction but are inactive welcome. With Android 15, they see much businesslike video processing, amended handling of apps moving successful the foreground (a boost for artillery life), information protections to halt malicious apps hijacking tasks tally by trustworthy apps, and the quality for Health Connect to propulsion successful much information from much apps implicit a longer clip period.

Update, September 11th: This nonfiction was primitively published connected May 20th and has been updated to see caller Android 15 features.