Google decided to wait until near the end of the work week to release the first developer preview of Android 15. This is just the first step in the road toward the final public release of Google's next big update to its mobile operating system.
In a post on the Android Developers blog, Google outlined three big features it wants to improve in Android 15. The first is better security and privacy. That will include putting in the latest version of Privacy Sandbox on Android, along with the ability to share just part of your device's screen to keep others from seeing stuff you don't want them to see.
The second focus for Android 15 will be offering better app performance features on the OS. That will include new features in its Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF), such as a power-efficiency mode that will help apps that need to save a device's power rather than using all of a device's energy. It will also include new thermal headroom thresholds as well.
Finally, Google wants Android 15 to be better for people who create content on their devices. People who love using their smartphone's cameras will get more control with the new Android 15 extensions. That includes more light enhancements and a way to get more access to a camera's flash intensities. Also, Android 15 will add support for virtual MIDI apps for audio creators.
The first Android 15 developer preview, as the name suggests, is really meant for app creators so they can have more time to adjust their apps before the full release of the OS. If that's you, you can head to the Android 15 site to download the OS. It officially supports the following Pixel devices:
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel 8 and 8 Pro
There will be at least one more developer preview that will launch before Google drops the first public beta version of Android 15 later this spring. There will be several beta releases that will become more and more stable until the final public version of the OS is launched sometime in the latter half of 2024.
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