Ruby Singh
2025-01-08
6 min read
The yearly Android and iOS refreshes are often an interesting time and with the recent Google I/O 2024 and second Android 15 beta release this year is no exception. Although the beta releases have bugs and issues, it’s well worth getting involved in beta testing if your device is eligible. All Google Pixel owners and those using third party Nothing or OnePlus handsets can be included in the program. Many features will be added and perhaps be removed in the coming months as the expected full launch approaches in October. At the time of writing, here’s what the engineers have improved and the new features that have been added for Android 15.
This is a strange name for a feature, but it’s apt when you understand the concept. A quick preview of what the user is returning to can be seen with the universal back gesture (side swipe). Perhaps you will see the homescreen or a website you recently visited. This is to give users an idea about what they will be returning to before they complete the swipe.
This is a brand new feature for Android 15, the user can record part of their screen rather than the entirety. This is useful for those creating tutorials or troubleshooting a specific problem that they want to share with others. This feature should make it easier to put together a tutorial without too many distractions and wasted screen real estate. Partial screen recording will be avoidable in the Android screen recorder tool and it can be added to developer apps too.
Many users have accounts that they log into that send OTPs (one-time passwords to verify their identity. The notifications in Android 15 that use OTPs will not be displayed on the screen where they could be seen. This will minimize the risk of casual password theft if someone is checking out the screen and/or recording your device screen.
This is a new secure Android 15 space where users can lock away their apps the data they contain. Samsung phone users already have a similar feature called “Secure Folder”, but now all Android users will have something with similar functionality. The way this works is that a new section is created in the app browser that requires an extra layer of verification. This could be a fingerprint or a passcode that’s used to gain access to the space. Then the user can install any apps they like in the space, including separate instances of Google Chrome, Google Photos, Camera and more. This will facilitate private access to web browsing, videos and photos that the user doesn’t want anyone else to see or access.
This is a much requested feature, but there is an official position on the extension of platform support for connectivity just like the latest iPhone. This will need to be built into the hardware and a satellite network partner will be required.
In the Android OS widgets are not a new feature, but when they’re added they are often accompanied by bland examples of what they look like. This may change with Android 15 where the developers can add richer widget previews for users. For example: if you choose to add a contact widget, the preview will display how it would look with one of your specific contacts. This should make it much easier for users to make better decisions about widgets they want to choose.
Many people choose to have their phone muted at all times and others when it’s more appropriate. In the past, Android apps could have custom vibrations to differentiate between each app for the user. In Android 15 it will be possible to set up specific notification channels. For example: You could set up a buzz of an email or a pair of buzzes when a text is received.
Although passkeys are already convenient to use there are some useful tweaks coming to Android 15 to improve the user experience. The phone can be unlocked with a fingerprint scan rather than inputting the password to access your Google account. The latest OS has a combined confirmation and account selection screen to make this process more intuitive. With one less screen to navigate users should find that it’s much easier to open their device in a hurry. Google will also add a new restore feature which will streamline the transfer of credentials to new mobile devices.
Google will add a host of new features to the latest Android OS to deter theft. The Theft Detection Lock uses AI to detect if the device has been snatched out of a hand quickly. At this point, the lock screen will turn on automatically to prevent access. The auto-lock feature will also trigger if the phone is taken off the grid for too long or if there have been too many authentication attempts made. If all this isn’t enough, it’s comforting to know that users will be able to lock their phone remotely too. These features will be added to all devices that are running Android 10 or later versions. But, there is a security feature that is exclusive to Android 15 only and that’s reset prevention. A common tactic is to steal a device and then reset it, but this will be impossible without access to your Google account credentials. This means that only the user will be able to reset the device in-person or remotely as desired.
These are just the features that we know about, but code diggers have found more. There are hidden updates that are currently disabled and these have not even been officially recognized by Google at this time. These may not make it into the Android 15 release, but it is fun to speculate. There’s a phone storage health status page, a desktop mode similar to the Samsung DeX and an extra dim mode to improve screen reading in darker environments. It’s likely that we will see more announcements and a few updates before the full Android 15 final release.
Aiden Reese
2025-01-12