Google has just released Android 15. The source code is being uploaded today to AOSP, while the OTA updates for Pixel devices will roll out later.
Google officially released Android 15 today. The source code for Android 15 is in the process of being uploaded to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The full code should be available soon.
By releasing the Android 15 source code today, Google has opened the door for independent platform developers and companies that aren't part of the Android Partner program to create their own forks of AOSP based on the Android 15 release. In the coming days and weeks, expect to see customized Android 15-based operating systems appear from projects like CalyxOS, LineageOS, and GrapheneOS, just to name a few.
Select Android Partner companies such as Samsung, Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus OPPO, realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo, and Xiaomi have had pre-release access to the Android 15 source code for a few months now, giving them a head start in building their own custom operating systems based on the new release. These companies will be rolling out over-the-air updates to their devices on their own schedule; contact your device's manufacturer to find out the exact details of their update plans.
Although Google did not mention an exact date for when they'll roll out the Android 15 update for their own devices, they quietly confirmed last week that they'll roll the update out sometime in October. According to a source, the Pixel's Android 15 update might release in the middle of October.
The Android 15 update brings several new features and changes that developers need to be aware of. These include Private Space, which creates a separate profile that users can hide apps in, a screen recording detection API, predictive back gesture, changes to background activity launches, and much more. For the full list of changes in Android 15 that might impact your app, visit this page on the Android Developers website.
Private Space in Android 15 on Pixel. Source: Google.
To better explain some of the more impactful changes that affect app behavior, Google is launching Spotlight Weeks, an educational series that dives deep into technical topics across Android. Today's deep dive goes over the edge-to-edge enforcement changes in Android 15.
For many users, Android 15 won't seem like a major update. That's because it doesn't bring a lot of new user-facing features apart from things like Private Space, app archiving support, predictive back gesture, a redesigned volume panel, Bluetooth auto-on support, and notification redaction on the lock screen and during screen sharing. However, things get complicated because today's source code drop only is only for the initial release of Android 15; the three quarterly platform releases (QPRs) of Android 15 may bring additional features that I've highlighted in the past, such as Audio Sharing, a revamped Desktop Mode, the Tiny Taskbar, lock screen widgets, more compact heads up notifications, and an Even Dimmer mode.
Apart from Google, most OEMs don't incorporate platform changes in QPRs into their updates, so all the features and changes in the initial Android 15 release is all you'll get if you don't have a Pixel, at least until next year's Android 16 update. With that in mind, several features that made their way into Android 14 QPRs may now appear in OEMs' Android 15 updates, including partial screen sharing, USB webcam support, app pairs, and the expandable Bluetooth panel. However, many OEMs may already have their own version of these features (especially app pairs and the Bluetooth panel) or may choose not to enable them, which makes it difficult to say for sure which Android 15 features you'll find on Pixel phones will show up on non-Pixel phones.
Android 14 QPR1 added support for turning your phone into a USB webcam. Source: Google
A big part of why Android 15 seems so light in terms of features is because a good chunk of its development time was spent on improving stability and making future feature development easier. Thanks to Google’s trunk stable project, developing and testing new features will become easier for Google going forward. Hopefully, next year's Android 16 update will bring a lot more user-facing changes.
As usual, I'll be diving into the Android 15 source code and upcoming QPR betas to find out what else is new and in the works. Throughout the Android 15 developer preview and beta phase, I've uncovered and documented dozens of new features, so I highly encourage you to follow me on social media if you're interested in learning more. You should also subscribe to the Android Faithful podcast if you want to hear me and my co-hosts recap the latest Android news and developments.
