Is it too early to talk about the next Android version after version 14? Nop. Going by the trend over the last few years, this is the time of the year when Google drops the next version of Android for developers to have an early look and prepare for what’s coming later in the year. And so, we already have ourselves the first Developer Preview of Android 15 to look at. Well, at least for the Pixel users. You know, Google’s own hardware will naturally go first, right?
“Android 15 continues our work to build a platform that helps improve your productivity while giving you new capabilities to produce superior media experiences, minimize battery impact, maximize smooth app performance, and protect user privacy and security all on the most diverse lineup of devices out there,” Dave Burke, the VP of Engineering at Google wrote on the blog post announcing the first Android 15 Developer Preview and, thereby, setting the tone for what those taking it for a spin at this time can expect: incremental updates and feature bumps that build on what we’ve already seen over the years.
For example, there’s some tuning to make sure Android devices play nicely with whatever apps or games that are demanding a lot more of them than is usually the norm. There are some enhancements for the cameras that will positively impact how apps incorporate them as Google looks to support creators more, the same doubling down on security and privacy that has been Google’s mainstay for over half a decade and more. The one thing that caught my eye? Google building on a feature that it has previously previewed but which we still don’t see much of: being able to just record an app’s window instead of the entire screen when screen recording.
Of course, there are lots of tiny feature add-ons and updates that we will see come to the fore over the next weeks and months as Android 15 development and testing progresses than we are able to share at this time when it’s just the first Developer Preview that’s out there.
The Developer Previews are expected to continue through the next month (March) and then we’ll get to see the first official Beta drop in April. Android 15 should achieve platform stability in the second half of the year ahead of its official release.
At this time, only these Pixel devices can take Android 15 for a spin:
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
While Google may have discontinued publicly releasing newer versions of Android with names from tasty treats/desserts, we know for a fact that Android 15’s internal codename is Vanilla Ice Cream. Yes, you’ve lived long enough to witness “Android V”.
