Android 15
Android 15 Beta 1 Is Now Available: Here’s the Full Changelog
Finally, Google’s new iteration, Android 15, enters the second phase, as Beta 1 is available to download now.
Android ‘Vanilla’ stands for Android 15, the next major update to the Android smartphone operating system. After the Developer Preview phase, Google released Android 15 Beta 1, which can be installed on Pixel phones starting with the Pixel 6 and onwards. Here’s the new preview version that includes the announced features, the expected release timeline, and the eligible Pixel device list.
Android 15 Beta 1 is available to download now
Google is actively, as well as schedule-wise, working on the next major update, Android 15, as it has already started rolling out Beta 1 for all the compatible Pixel smartphones and tablets.
The Android 15 Beta 1 update has arrived with an identification build number of AP31.240322.018, and the installation package appears to be 613 MB in size on the Google Pixel 7 Pro. It also brings the March 2024 security patch.
In a recent announcement, Vice President of the Android Engineering division at Google, Dave Burke, stated that the key focus of Android 15 is on enhancing productivity, users’ experiences, privacy and security, as well as accessibility. Also, Google is planning to reveal more detailed information at Google I/O. Now, Google is inviting developers to try Android 15 Beta 1 and provide feedback, which will be critical for the development process as the company has to finalize Android 15.
Android 15 features: the transparent navigation bar offers an edge-to-edge experience
All apps intended for Android 15 will be shown “edge-to-edge” by default, which means the navigation bar will be transparent or translucent, permitting your content to extend behind it, and the status bar will stay visible but adjust its color to match the content of the application behind it.
Android 15 brings a new way to free up space in app storage
Google with Android 15 offers a new way to free up space without even uninstalling the application, for which you have to go to the App Info screen, then a new “Archive” button will appear instead of “Open,” housed at the top right beside ‘Uninstall’ and ‘Force Stop’, then archiving the app darkens its icon and adds a cloud with the down arrow icon. For using the application again, simply tap the icon, and the phone will download the necessary data to restore it. A network connection is recommended.
Android 15: New features
Google’s Android 15 introduces the new Wallet role, a digital wallet application that lets you choose your Wallet app even if Google Wallet is set as the default for NFC payments. For detailed information, you can check here.
Android 15 brings a new way for application developers to collect performance data: Profiling Manager, which is a kind of API composite into Android Jetpack that permits developers to profile their applications directly from within the application itself.
The company is offering TalkBack, which supports Braille displays through USB or’secure’ Bluetooth and uses the HID standard. The giants are reassuring app developers to use end-to-end encryption in their Android applications, for which Android 15 brings an API that will be managed by ‘E2eeContactKeysManager’ for developers to securely store encryption keys.
This new beta 1 update focuses on protecting you from malicious applications and giving them more control over your devices, as Android 15 brings additional changes just to prevent’malicious’ background applications from bringing other applications to the foreground.
Android 15: Release Date
To increase the enthusiasm among Android fans, Google has updated the roadmap relating to the several builds that will arrive during the development process, which will end with the stable release of Android 15, scheduled for the second half of 2024.
It is reported that the beta testing phase will run for several months until June’s beta 3, and it is expected to reach the stable stage in the early second half. At this time, the level 35 APIs for the SDK and NDK and app-related system behaviors will be finalized. A final stage of development will then follow.
Android 15 Eligible Pixel Device List
You can easily install Android 15 beta 1 by just registering one of the compatible smartphones with the Android Beta program.
- Google Pixel 8 (Shiba)
- Google Pixel 8 Pro (Husky)
- Google Pixel 7 (Panther)
- Google Pixel 7 Pro (Cheetah)
- Google Pixel 7a (Lynx)
- Google Pixel 6 (Oriole)
- Google Pixel 6 Pro (Raven)
- Google Pixel 6a (Bluejay)
- Google Pixel Fold (Felix)
- Google Pixel Tablet (Tangorpro)
