Android 15: what’s new and on which phones the update is available

We share our impressions of the latest version of the system

Google released the source code Android 15 in early September 2024.

Major manufacturers received materials in advance to adapt the operating system to their branded devices as soon as possible. From October 15, Google Pixel smartphones started receiving updates.

We will tell you about the features of Android 15 and when you can expect an update for your smartphone.

Which smartphones can upgrade to Android 15

The stable version of Android 15 has already been released for current smartphones and tablets from the Google Pixel series, including the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, and Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel 9.

A little later, in the next few months, devices from other brands that were part of the testing process for Android 15 will begin receiving updates to the stable version. These include the Lenovo Tab Extreme, Xiaomi 14 and 13 Pro, Pad 6S Pro, Nothing Phone 2, OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open, Vivo X100, iQOO 12 Honor Magic 6 Pro Magic V2 Oppo Find N3 Realme 12 Pro+ Tecno Camon 30 Pro and Sharp Aquos Sense 8 among others.

After that, other smartphones will gradually begin to receive updates. Each update may take several months to release. Manufacturers need to optimize their devices for each new version of Android.

Among Samsung’s devices, the Android 15 operating system will be available on the Galaxy S21 and S22 smartphones, as well as on the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4 folding phones and on newer models of the Tab S series. Samsung plans to start testing the One UI 7.0 interface based on Android 14 by the end of 2023. It is unlikely that a stable version of this interface will be released before January 2024.

Xiaomi is sure to release updates for the flagship smartphones in the Xiaomi 12, 12T, 13, and 14 series, as well as for the Realme GT5, GT6, Realme 11, and Realme 12. These updates will bring Android 15 to these devices.

What are the new features in Android 15 ?

In recent years, large-scale changes rarely occur in mobile operating systems. Modern versions of iOS and Android are quite stable and fully functional, so developers can only gradually improve individual components.

Android 15 it also doesn’t have a long list of significant innovations. But there are a few important improvements in the system: still appeared.

Archiving applications. Android 15 I learned how to clear the storage of unnecessary applications, while preserving all user data. The backup function is located on the “About app” page. You can get there from the system settings or recent programs menu.

Archiving the app allows you to save up to 95% of your space usage however, the final savings depend on how much personal data a particular app stores.

After archiving, the operating system remembers all settings and permissions granted to the app. The archived app icon with the cloud icon will remain in the launcher. If you click on it, the missing app fragments will be downloaded from the original app store. After that, you can use the program as usual, without wasting time on re-logging in to your account and configuring functions.

Private space. The user can create a separate profile for installing applications in secret. Hidden apps do not appear in the launcher, settings, notifications, or recent app menu.

To set up a private space, go to Settings → Security and Privacy → Private Space. This is an instruction manual for Pixel smartphones. The section names may differ on other models.

By default, the hidden section already has basic applications like the file manager and browser. Everything else will have to be installed independently. Duplicates from the main profile are also not automatically deleted. By the way, private space can be used for” cloning ” programs. This may be useful for using two accounts in services without multi-account support.

You can protect the private section with a smartphone password or a separate key. The second option is safer: even if the method of unlocking the device is compromised, hidden programs will remain protected. When setting up your personal space, the system recommends connecting a separate Google account, so that data from hidden apps is not synced with the main account.

After setting up your personal space, a password-protected section will appear at the end of the list of installed programs in the launcher. It can be unlocked or blocked at any time. When a profile is blocked, all applications in it are stopped.

The system allows you to hide even the very existence of an additional profile from prying eyes. Then you can enter it by entering the command “private space” in the search bar on the desktop.

New behavior of the Back gesture. Google has been testing a redesigned gesture animation for returning to the previous screen since Android 13. If you drag your finger from the right or left edge of the display, a preview will appear on the screen. This is how the system lets the user know where the gesture will take them: to the previous page of the open application or to the desktop.

So far, the new logic has been activated through the developer settings. And in Android 15, the feature is enabled for everyone. But for full-fledged work, you need support from applications. Currently, Google branded apps are mostly compatible with the predictive Back gesture. Most of the other programs use the old animation.

The arrow that indicates the “Back”gesture has also changed a little. It received a substrate and generally became more noticeable.

Updated volume bar. In Android, there is a mini-volume control panel, which is called by physical keys on the smartphone case. And if you click on the three-dot button in this panel, a large window appears with several controls for adjusting the volume of calls, notifications, alarms, and playing media files.

The mini-panel corresponded to the modern design of Android before, but the full-fledged window remained unchanged from the time of Android 11. This issue has been fixed in Android 15. The sliders are designed in the corporate style and animated. And in the menu there is a switch for audio output to an external device.

In addition, if you have compatible headphones connected to your smartphone, you can adjust the noise reduction level or enable spatial sound from here.

The “Automatic subtitles” feature can also be enabled or disabled from here-although this button was already in the mini-panel.

Saving app pairs. Android has a split-screen mode where you can use two apps at the same time. If you often run the same programs in this mode — for example, ” Youtube “and” Google Docs ” for taking notes on videos-in Android 15, you can save this pair and run it in one tap from the desktop.

To do this, just open the recent apps menu in split window mode, hold down the icon of one of the programs in the pair and select “Save apps”. The shortcut will appear on the home screen.

Protection against theft. Google has introduced several changes that will prevent attackers from accessing sensitive data in the device’s memory, as well as reset the system to factory settings.

To change sensitive settings like the Find My Device service, you now need to enter a PIN code or log in using biometric data. The system can also block the device if multiple login attempts fail.

Google has also improved the Factory Reset Protection (FRP) mechanism: it resists unauthorized resetting of the device to factory settings, so as not to allow a thief to clean the smartphone before selling it. There are ways to bypass FRP, but Android 15 significantly complicates their use.

Transfer audio to multiple headphones. In the “Connected devices” section, the “Transmit audio”setting has been added. You can set your smartphone to broadcast an audio stream to two pairs of wireless headphones simultaneously. To do this, the device uses Auracast-this is a function of the Bluetooth LE Audio standard. The technology is not supported by all smartphones and headphones. For example, audio transmission is not available on the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, and 8a smartphones.

A similar feature is available in Samsung smartphones, but it only works within the ecosystem.

The headphones are paired using a QR code: you need to scan it with the smartphone that the second headphones are connected to.

Adaptive vibration. The operating system has learned to determine the noise level around and the position of the smartphone. Based on this, the algorithm adjusts the vibration level for notifications and calls. For example, if the smartphone is lying in silence on the table, the maximum level of return is not needed. And if you put the device on the sofa, it may turn out that soft pillows drown out the sound — and the vibration force should be increased.

The function interface mentions that the algorithm works locally on the device, and recording from microphones is not sent to Google’s servers. This parameter is enabled in the section “Settings” → “Sound and Vibration” → “Vibration and Vibration response”.

Improvements to the Wallpaper and Style app. For people with visual impairments, a color contrast control may be useful. It appears in the Wallpaper and Style app — You can call it up by holding down any free area on the home screen. Previously, the configuration was called up via the developer menu.

There are three contrast options, and the interface provides a preview of changes.

Google has also unified the wallpaper preview interface for the desktop and lock screen. Tapping on the screen preview in the Wallpaper & Style app opens a carousel with a selection of splash screens for both screens. Here you can also adjust the position and zoom of the image.

Autostart Bluetooth. If you’re used to turning off Bluetooth when you’re not using wireless devices, you’ll have to disable another option in Android 15. It is located under “Settings” → “Connected Devices” → “Connection Settings” → Bluetooth → “Enable automatically tomorrow”. This is an instruction manual for Pixel smartphones. The section names may differ on other models.

By default, Android 15 automatically starts Bluetooth 24 hours after a manual shutdown. The fact is that wireless technology is used for the “Find device” and “Quick Send”services.

Satellite connection support. The operating system now has a single interface for managing satellite communication settings. The specific implementation of the technology depends on the smartphone manufacturer-Android only provides a single graphical interface for everyone. In addition, Android 15 offers SMS, MMS, or RCS messaging apps a way to send and receive text messages via satellite.

Improved widget selection interface. The desktop widget selection window now has a panel with options in several categories: “General”, “News and Magazines”, and “Recommendations”. In the latter category, the widget of the most used application is offered.

You can also now not drag the widget to the desktop, but simply click on the ” Add ” button. The element will automatically take up free space on the screen.

Developers also got the opportunity to generate previews of their widgets using user data. For example, the illustration for the Battery widget now shows the battery of your Pixel Buds headphones, but in the future it may show a real indicator of your Bluetooth devices.

Separate setting of the keyboard vibration response. On Pixel smartphones, the Gboard app plays the role of a standard on-screen keyboard. In its settings, you can enable or disable vibration when pressing keys, and at the same time adjust the response strength.

However, it may not be obvious to the user where to look for this function. Therefore, in Android 15, it was moved to the section “Settings” → “Sound and Vibration” → “Vibration and Vibration response”. The parameter has not disappeared from Gboard. This may happen in the next updates.

Screen recording for a separate app. Back in Android 14, Google started developing a feature that allows you to record video from the screen only for the current app. In this mode, notifications and other events from other programs are not recorded. Moreover, if you switch to another app while recording and then go back to the original one, this moment will not be included in the final video.

Smart home management screen saver. You can make it so that while charging, the screen displays elements for controlling smart home devices. All thanks to the new screen saver, which can be selected under “Settings” → “Screen and Touch Control” → “Screen Saver”.

Currently, the screen saver works with Google Home and Home Assistant, but developers of other smart home ecosystems can also integrate their own applications.

Removing frame rate restrictions in games. In the settings for Android 15 developers, the “High frame rate in games” function has been added. It is useful on smartphones with a display frame rate of more than 60 Hz.

Even after enabling the settings, games will not be able to run at 90 or 120 Hz if the processor power does not allow it. In fact, this parameter will only affect titles that do not explicitly set their own maximum frame rate.

Pinning the taskbar on tablets and clamshells. On larger-screen devices, Android shows the taskbar with your favorite apps. In Android 14, it automatically hides after a few seconds, so as not to distract the user. But if you often switch between programs, it makes sense to pin the component: to do this, hold down the taskbar with your finger and activate the corresponding option.

Borderless apps by default. In its original form, android apps don’t go to the status bar at the top and navigation bar at the bottom, so these elements remain black. Software developers can make them semi-transparent to make the interface look more aesthetically pleasing. But not everyone takes advantage of this opportunity.

All apps that are designed to meet the requirements of Android 15, occupy the display from edge to edge without additional manipulation. Currently, developers can opt out of forced “stretching” if the interface of their application does not work correctly in this form, but this loophole is planned to be closed in the future.

Performance optimization. In Android 15, resource-demanding games and apps will be able to request data from your smartphone about CPU usage and component temperature. This way they will more accurately control the load on the device.

In addition, the operating system now loads web pages faster inside applications. The corresponding change in the code was found by journalist Mishaal Rahman. It turned out that the OS does not load the Android System WebView component from RAM, which many applications use to display web content-for example, account login pages or reference materials. The change will only be noticed by owners of devices with a small amount of RAM.

Android 15 Update of system components. contains the latest versions of the Privacy Sandbox and Health Connect services:

1. Privacy Sandbox allows you to get rid of third-party cookies to personalize ads. Instead, the operating system independently determines the user’s main interests and transmits them to advertisers in an impersonal form.
2. Health Connect securely transfers data about the user’s health and physical activity between fitness apps — activity, nutrition, and sleep trackers. In the new version, this service supports information about the frequency of steps and the amount of trans fats that were consumed.

There are Other changes . there are also smaller-scale innovations:

1. The “Webcam Mode” option for connecting a smartphone to a computer as an external camera now supports high-quality image mode.
2. When you change the USB connection mode, the system requests confirmation of your identity via biometrics or a password from the lock screen.
3. The biometric authentication window now displays the icon of the application that requested verification.
4. Changing the screen brightness level via the control in the Quick Settings panel is accompanied by a light tactile response.
5. In the menu with memory usage statistics (“Settings” → “Storage”) instead of one item “System”, there is a division into the operating system itself and temporary system files.
6. The access key authorization process has been reduced from two screens to one.