Updates often pop up routinely, however you’ll be able to at all times examine whether or not you have got the most recent model in Settings > System > System replace by tapping Test for replace. Need to get off the beta and return to Android 14? Go to Google’s Android Beta web page, scroll down to search out your system, and hit Decide out. This can wipe all domestically saved knowledge, so again up your system first. You may get an replace immediate to return to the older model.
People with out a Pixel or supported associate system ought to watch their cellphone producer’s web site, boards, or social media to be taught when to anticipate Android 15.
High New Android 15 Options
These are our favourite options and enhancements in Android 15. You may be taught extra at Google’s developer website. And you’ll want to learn our story on all the brand new options coming to Android and the Android ecosystem—together with Put on OS, Android Auto, and Android TV—on this story right here.
Personal House
Android 15 features a new Personal House the place you’ll be able to preserve delicate apps separate from the remainder of your cellphone. Whether or not you need to safeguard well being knowledge or your banking apps, Personal House retains them safely behind a second layer of authentication, protected with the identical password you utilize to unlock your system or another PIN. When your Personal House is locked, apps are hidden from the Recents view, notifications, settings, and different apps. You may wipe your non-public house fully too.
What’s That Tune?
Now we have a information on the way to establish songs along with your cellphone, however Google is making it simpler than ever with Circle to Search in Android 15. If a tune taking part in in your cellphone or a speaker close by catches your consideration, long-press the Residence button or navigation bar to activate Circle to Search, then faucet the music button to establish the monitor title and artist. You even get a hyperlink to the YouTube video.
Improved Audio Picture Descriptions
Android has a display reader referred to as TalkBack for people with imaginative and prescient loss, and Android 15 makes use of Google’s Gemini AI to enhance its capacity to explain photographs. Historically, picture descriptions on web sites have been restricted to no matter was enter within the alt textual content subject, however Google’s AI can analyze photographs and describe them in better element. This new function additionally works with images in your digital camera roll, social media photographs, or footage in textual content messages.
Earthquake Alert System
People within the US will get doubtlessly life-saving warnings about impending earthquakes as Android 15 employs crowd-sourced earthquake detection expertise. This new function additionally contains tips about what to do within the aftermath of a quake.
Extra Satellite tv for pc Connectivity
There’s a big growth for satellite tv for pc connectivity in Android 15. Some RCS and SMS apps ought to now be capable of ship textual content messages through satellite tv for pc (it was beforehand restricted to emergency use). Google has additionally standardized the pop-ups and different consumer interface components to make it clearer when related through satellite tv for pc. Up to now, solely the Pixel 9 vary helps satellite tv for pc messaging.
Offline Maps on Put on OS
You probably have a Put on OS smartwatch to associate along with your Android cellphone, now you can entry offline maps. Any map you obtain to your cellphone can be utilized for instructions in your wrist, so you’ll be able to go away your cellphone behind if you go for a run.
Higher Bluetooth
Android 15 will carry a variety of Bluetooth enhancements. For starters, the fast settings tile now opens a popup that allows you to decide on particular person gadgets, leap into their settings, and pair new gadgets, slicing down on settings menu navigation. It additionally appears as if Google is altering how the Bluetooth toggle works, so if you toggle Bluetooth off, by default, it’ll routinely flip again on the following day. This function will possible assist Android’s Discover My Machine community, which makes use of Bluetooth to search out gadgets. You may disable the automated turn-on within the settings in the event you desire.
Partial Display Recording
As an alternative of recording or sharing your whole display, in Android 15, you’ll be able to share a person app with out revealing the remainder of your display or incoming notifications. Logins and one-time passwords (OTPs) are routinely hidden from distant viewers. That is already out there on Pixels, however now Google has baked it into Android.
Malicious App Blocking
A number of updates in Android 15 make life more durable for malicious apps. They will not disguise behind different apps by bringing them to the foreground or overlay themselves invisibly on prime. There are additionally adjustments designed to forestall the exploitation of intents, which allow you to begin an exercise in one other app by describing an motion you’d prefer to carry out, as they’re typically misused by malware. That is behind-the-scenes stuff to maintain customers safer.
App Archiving
In case you haven’t used an app or recreation for some time, chances are you’ll be prompted to delete it, however what in the event you assume you would possibly use it once more sooner or later? With app archiving in Android 15, you’ll be able to offload many of the app by archiving it however preserve your consumer settings or save knowledge in video games. The auto-archiving function was introduced final 12 months, however Android 15 makes it a systemwide possibility, so of us can select to auto-archive apps when storage is operating low.
Good Vibrations
Android 15 allows you to flip keyboard vibrations on or off systemwide, as an alternative of getting to dig into the keyboard settings. There’s a brand new toggle in Settings > Sound and vibration > Vibration and haptics, the place you may as well use sliders to regulate haptic depth (this has been out there on choose Android telephones, however is now systemwide). The second beta additionally introduces wealthy vibrations, so of us can decide between several types of notifications with out wanting on the display.
Audio Sharing
It must be simpler to share audio out of your cellphone utilizing Bluetooth LE and Auracast with a brand new settings web page centered on audio sharing. This web page didn’t work within the final Beta, and it isn’t clear what gadgets will help the function, however the of us at Android Authority managed to get it engaged on a Pixel 8 Professional. The function lets you broadcast audio out of your cellphone to different gadgets inside Bluetooth vary, together with the telephones and earbuds of family and friends who can scan a QR code to affix.
Higher PDF Dealing with
Attempting to do something with PDF information in your Android cellphone could be a ache, so the information that Google has constructed a number of PDF enhancements into Android 15 is welcome. PDFs ought to load extra easily, and there’s now help for password-protected information, annotations, type enhancing, and duplicate choice. Maybe better of all, now you can search inside PDF information.
Loudness Management
It may be jarring if you change from one app to a different and the amount all of the sudden booms. Fortunately, Android 15 introduces help for the CTA-2075 loudness normal. Meaning it’ll examine quantity between apps, have in mind the traits of your audio system, headphones, or earbuds, and intelligently regulate the audio to make sure no sudden jumps or drops.
Higher Low-Mild Digicam
There are a few vital enhancements for the digital camera app in Android 15. Firstly, Low Mild Increase makes for higher previews in low-light situations, so you’ll be able to body your nighttime photographs higher and scan QR codes when gentle is restricted. There are additionally new digital camera app choices to present you finer management over the flash so you’ll be able to regulate the depth for each single flashes and steady flashlight mode.
Enhanced Fraud and Rip-off Safety
There are a number of updates in Android 15 aimed squarely at thwarting fraudsters and scammers. Google will make use of AI by way of Play Defend and on gadgets to scan for and flag suspicious habits. Messages containing one-time passwords (OTPs), sometimes utilized in two-factor authentication, are actually hidden from the notifications system, making it tougher to intercept them. Restricted settings are additionally being expanded for side-loaded apps—ones that are not downloaded by way of the Google Play Retailer.
Job Bar Choices
For Android tablets and folding telephones, Google has modified the best way the duty bar dock works. Initially, it was everlasting, then it was transient, and now you’ll be able to select. That is useful for docked tablets the place you may want a activity bar to at all times show, nevertheless it’s additionally good to have the choice to cover it. You may as well pin your favourite split-screen app mixtures. Android 15 permits apps to show edge-to-edge, to allow them to make extra of the out there display actual property, even when there’s a activity bar or system bar on the backside.
Higher Battery Life
There are at all times tweaks and enhancements to effectivity in Android updates that ought to have a optimistic impression on battery life, however with Android 15, Google is putting extra checks on foreground providers and clamping down on apps that preserve operating in an energetic state. Units with a whole lot of RAM also needs to see quicker app and digital camera launch occasions with decrease energy draw, due to help for bigger web page sizes.
Enhanced Theft Safety
Most of the new Android safeguards that Google is rolling out to discourage thieves—comparable to computerized locking when somebody snatches your cellphone, in addition to distant lock choices—will likely be coming to gadgets operating Android 10 and up. However the replace to manufacturing unit reset safety, which stops thieves who drive a reset of a stolen system from setting it up once more with out realizing your system or Google account credentials, is barely in Android 15.
Extra Foldable Cowl Display Choices
A number of the greatest folding telephones routinely change no matter motion you are performing onto the quilt display if you fold them up, however Google is now integrating that selection into Android 15. In case you desire the quilt display to lock up if you fold, that will likely be an possibility too. There’s additionally extra help for apps displaying on smaller cowl screens with the extra compact flip cellphone class.
Extra Well being Join Knowledge
Well being Join began as an app to tug all of your well being and health knowledge from totally different gadgets and apps. It got here preinstalled with Android 14, however Android 15 is including two new knowledge sorts: pores and skin temperature (collected by wearables just like the Oura ring and the Pixel Watch 2) in addition to coaching plans—which may embody completion targets for energy burned, distance, length, repetition, and steps, but additionally efficiency targets round as many repetitions as doable (AMRAP), cadence, coronary heart price, energy, perceived price of exertion, and velocity.