There are few operating systems in the world that can claim to have the same level of influence as Android. It powers over 2.5 billion smartphones worldwide, and every year it receives a new upgrade packed with big changes. Google's first developer preview of Android 15 is now here, bringing improvements to Privacy Sandbox, adding partial screen sharing, and introducing new camera controls.

As the title "Developer Preview" implies, these releases are intended for usage by developers only. It's a time for testing bleeding-edge features and ensuring apps are fully compatible with the newest Android advancements. Expect potential bugs and stability issues; Google will actively seek developer feedback over the coming months to refine the experience. If you crave the latest and greatest and are comfortable with a few hiccups, feel free to experiment with Android 15. However, if your smartphone is a daily workhorse, it might be best to wait for the full, polished Android 15 release anticipated for the latter half of the year.

The most notable features of Android 15 developer preview 1 include:

• Privacy and security: With Android 15, Google is including the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android while adding new APIs to FileIntegrity Manager to help protect files that could compromise a developer’s app.
• Helping developers take advantage of hardware features: Google is making it possible to more precisely control the camera hardware in your phone so that creators can take advantage of high-end camera capabilities. Google will also be making refinements to help developers use powerful GPUs and AI processing to give better in-app experiences to users.
• Improvements to thermal and power management: Google is modifying the Android Dynamic Performance Framework to help developers optimize thermal, CPU, and GPU management to imrpove the performance of performance-intensive apps and games.

When will Android 15 release?

For Android updates, Google typically reveals a "platform stability" milestone so that developers can know when Google intends on delivering the final SDK/NDK APIs, along with final internal APIs and app-facing system behaviors. Google intends on reaching platform stability in June 2024, with "several months" at minimum planned before the official release. Android 14 hit platform stability in June 2023 and the final version was released in October of that year alongside the Pixel 8 series. Google has released more details about the release timeline that you can check out.

User privacy and security changes

Privacy Sandbox on Android

Privacy Sandbox on Android is Google's initiative to transform how advertising works on Android devices. Its aim is to strike a balance between protecting user privacy and enabling businesses to deliver relevant ads and measure their effectiveness.

The core idea is to replace traditional tracking identifiers (like your advertising ID) with more privacy-conscious solutions. This includes new technologies that group users with similar interests without directly revealing individual identities. Advertisers can use these interest groups to target ads without compromising user data as directly as they do with current methods. Privacy Sandbox on Android also aims to limit sneaky tracking techniques used by some apps to build profiles about you.

Android 15 will have the latest AD services extension, up to level 10, which includes the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android.

New Health Connect data types

Health Connect is an Android app developed by Google that acts as a centralized hub for your health and fitness data. It lets compatible apps like Samsung Health, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, and others securely share and sync data. This means you have a single place to view and manage information like steps, workout details, sleep patterns, heart rate, and more, while maintaining fine-grained control over which apps can access what type of data. It was made part of the Android system in Android 14 as a Project Mainline module.

With Android 15, Health Connect will get new data types, relating to nutrition, fitness, and more.

File integrity

Android 15 extends on the already-existing FileIntegrityManager with new APIs that leverage fs-verity in the Linux kernel. fs-verity can protect files with custom cryptographic signatures, meaning that developers can ensure that their files aren't being tampered with.

Partial screen sharing and recording

introduced in Android 14 QPR2 but coming to most devices in Android 15, you'll now be able to record or share a specific app window, rather than the entire device screen.

Improvements for creators

More in-app camera controls

Android 15 will have new extensions for controlling even more of the camera outside of the default camera app. This includes:

• Low light enhancements that give developers control to boost the brightness of the camera preview.
• Advanced flash strength adjustments enabling precise control of flash intensity in both SINGLE and TORCH modes while capturing images.

Virtual MIDI 2.0 devices

Android 13 added support for MIDI devices over USB, and Android 15 now adds support for virtual MIDI 2.0 apps running on the device. Composition apps can now control synthesizer apps as a virtual MIDI device.

Performance and speed

Dynamic performance

Android 15 is expanding on the Android Dynamic Performance Framework, which is a framework that lets games control more of the device power and thermals. These new additions include:

• A power-efficiency mode to tell threads they should prefer power efficiency over performance
• GPU and CPU work durations can be reported to allow the system to to adjust their frequencies to better meet the workload demands
• Thermal headroom thresholds can be used to interpret when possible thermal throttling may occur

How to download and install Android 15 developer preview 1 on your Google Pixel

Most recent Google Pixel smartphones are supported

Google is officially releasing this developer preview update for the Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 8, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel Tablet, and the Pixel Fold. You can use the 64-bit system images with the Android Emulator in Android Studio, and you can also use a GSI too.

Google recommends that if you're currently using the most recent Android 14 QPR2 beta and intend on trying out Android 15 without wiping your smartphone, then you should do so now. Otherwise, there may be times where the most recent build date of Android 14 QPR2 is newer than Android 15, which will not allow you to flash it over the existing install.