When Will Your Phone Get the Android 15 Update?
Google released the first Android 15 beta on April 11, 2024, with Android 15 beta 1.2 being the most recent version. This falls in line with the Android 15 release timeline that Google published when the developer preview 1 rolled out. While all this information is great, you might be wondering when your phone will get the Android 15 update.
What to Expect from Android 15
Android 14 was primarily an iterative update, focusing on improvements across privacy, security, accessibility, and other areas related to the inner workings of Android. However, user-facing features were few and far between. Some notable additions in Android 14 included the ability to create custom wallpapers, Health Connect integration, and lock screen customization options.
As for Android 15, it’s hard to tell everything that’s in store right now. Google released the first Android 15 developer preview back in February, which introduced tools for developers to use. It features the latest version of Google’s privacy sandbox to improve user privacy, extensions for more precise control of camera hardware, and a new framework to help developers optimize thermal, CPU, and GPU management for their apps, resulting in better performance for end users.
Now that we’re out of the developer previews and into the beta phase, we have a better idea of what will come with the new operating system. Android 15 will offer OS-level support for app archiving and unarchiving. This means that infrequently used apps can be archived and unarchived from settings, allowing users to free up space without losing their data.
In addition, Android 15 will bring some accessibility, privacy, and security features. These include support for braille displays in Android TalkBack and an OS-level API for end-to-end encryption for contact keys. Apps will also be edge-to-edge by default, fitting the entirety of your screen. Android 15 also introduces new data types to Health Connect and partial screen sharing, allowing users to record just an app window rather than the entire device screen.
If you want to get a lowdown on everything new and rumored in the latest Android 15 build, make sure you read our Android 15 features hub.
How to Try Out Android 15 Beta on Non-Pixel Devices
Currently, you can only install the Android 15 beta manually on Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series devices, along with the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. But what if you don’t have any of these Pixel devices?
If you don’t have any of the aforementioned Pixel devices, you can still try out Android 15 beta by using the 64-bit system images with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. This allows you to configure the Android Emulator to explore all the new Android 15 features and also emulate various screen sizes and device characteristics.
Android 15 Availability on Other Android Phones
While the Android 15 beta is currently limited to Pixel devices, you can expect Android 15 to come to multiple Android phones from various brands like Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Asus, Nothing, Sony, Oppo, and others. Some of these brands will roll out the new software through their respective beta programs.
