Google has released the initial developer preview of Android 15.
In a post on Friday, Dave Burke, the vice president of engineering, highlighted the introduction of the newest iteration of Privacy Sandbox on Android. This addition is positioned to offer both “user privacy” and “effective, personalized advertising experiences for mobile apps.”
Burke also expressed excitement about the integration of Android 14 extensions 10 related to Health Connect by Android, which now supports additional data types across fitness, nutrition, and more.
One of the notable new features is partial screen sharing, allowing users to capture a window instead of the entire screen. This enhancement caters to the growing demand for larger screen Android devices in tablet, foldable, and flappable configurations.
Furthermore, a set of enhancements aims to optimize battery performance. Burke outlined these improvements as follows:
- Introduction of a power-efficiency mode for hint sessions, signaling that associated threads should prioritize power saving over performance, ideal for extended background tasks.
- Reporting of GPU and CPU work durations in hint sessions, enabling the system to synchronize CPU and GPU frequencies to meet workload requirements effectively.
- Implementation of thermal headroom thresholds to anticipate potential thermal throttling based on predictive headroom analysis.
For developers focusing on photography features, Android 15 offers enhancements for low-light conditions, enhancing the camera preview’s brightness. Additionally, advanced adjustments for flash intensity in both SINGLE and TORCH modes during image capture are now available.
Burke positioned the developer preview as a comprehensive package for exploring Android 15 features, testing applications, and providing feedback.
Developers interested in exploring the preview have two options: installing the OS on select Google devices such as Pixel 6, 7, 8, Fold, or Tablet, or utilizing the preview on the Android Emulator within Android Studio.
Details on how to proceed with both options can be accessed here.
Burke’s announcement hints at a forthcoming second developer preview in March, followed by monthly beta releases starting in April. The platform’s stability is projected for June, allowing developers “several months before the official release for final testing.”
The release timeline indicates Beta 4 in July and concludes with the “Android 15 release to AOSP and ecosystem,” without specifying a date.
Google unveiled its Pixel 8 lineup on October 8, 2023. The Register speculates that Android 15 will likely debut around a similar date in 2024, aligning with Google’s tradition of showcasing its latest handsets with the newest Android version.
Whenever it launches, Android 15 is expected to incorporate significant AI features, a topic notably absent from Burke’s initial post about the OS debut.
