The 17 Top New Android 15 Features

Updates normally pop up routinely, however you possibly can all the time verify whether or not you will have the most recent model in Settings > System > System replace by tapping Test for replace. Wish to get off the beta and return to Android 14? Go to Google’s Android Beta web page, scroll down to search out your system, and hit Decide out. It will wipe all domestically saved information, so again up your system first. You may get an replace immediate to return to the older model.

Of us with no Pixel or supported associate system ought to watch their telephone producer’s web site, boards, or social media to study when to count on Android 15.

Prime New Android 15 Options

These are our favourite options and enhancements in Android 15. You possibly can study extra at Google’s developer website. And you should definitely learn our story on all the brand new options coming to Android and the Android ecosystem—together with Put on OS, Android Auto, and Android TV—on this story right here.

Personal House

Android 15 features a new Personal House the place you possibly can maintain delicate apps separate from the remainder of your telephone. Whether or not you wish to safeguard well being information or your banking apps, Personal House retains them safely behind a second layer of authentication, protected with the identical password you employ to unlock your system or an alternate PIN. When your Personal House is locked, apps are hidden from the Recents view, notifications, settings, and different apps. You possibly can wipe your personal house utterly too.

What’s That Tune?

We have now a information on how you can establish songs along with your telephone, however Google is making it simpler than ever with Circle to Search in Android 15. If a tune enjoying in your telephone or a speaker close by catches your consideration, long-press the Dwelling button or navigation bar to activate Circle to Search, then faucet the music button to establish the observe identify and artist. You even get a hyperlink to the YouTube video.

Improved Audio Picture Descriptions

Android has a display screen reader referred to as TalkBack for people with imaginative and prescient loss, and Android 15 makes use of Google’s Gemini AI to enhance its capability to explain photos. Historically, picture descriptions on web sites had been restricted to no matter was enter within the alt textual content subject, however Google’s AI can analyze photos and describe them in larger element. This new function additionally works with pictures in your digital camera roll, social media photos, or photos in textual content messages.

Earthquake Alert System

Of us within the US will get probably life-saving warnings about impending earthquakes as Android 15 employs crowd-sourced earthquake detection expertise. This new function additionally contains tips about what to do within the aftermath of a quake.

Extra Satellite tv for pc Connectivity

There’s a major enlargement for satellite tv for pc connectivity in Android 15. Some RCS and SMS apps ought to now be capable to ship textual content messages through satellite tv for pc (it was beforehand restricted to emergency use). Google has additionally standardized the pop-ups and different consumer interface parts to make it clearer when related through satellite tv for pc. Thus far, solely the Pixel 9 vary helps satellite tv for pc messaging.

Offline Maps on Put on OS

When you have a Put on OS smartwatch to associate along with your Android telephone, now you can entry offline maps. Any map you obtain to your telephone can be utilized for instructions in your wrist, so you possibly can go away your telephone behind once you go for a run.

Higher Bluetooth

Android 15 will convey a variety of Bluetooth enhancements. For starters, the short settings tile now opens a popup that allows you to decide on particular person units, bounce into their settings, and pair new units, reducing down on settings menu navigation. It additionally seems to be as if Google is altering how the Bluetooth toggle works, so once you toggle Bluetooth off, by default, it should routinely flip again on the following day. This function will doubtless assist Android’s Discover My Machine community, which makes use of Bluetooth to search out units. You possibly can disable the automated turn-on within the settings in case you want.

Partial Display screen Recording

As a substitute of recording or sharing your complete display screen, in Android 15, you possibly can share a person app with out revealing the remainder of your display screen or incoming notifications. Logins and one-time passwords (OTPs) are routinely hidden from distant viewers. That is already out there on Pixels, however now Google has baked it into Android.

Malicious App Blocking

A number of updates in Android 15 make life more durable for malicious apps. They will not cover behind different apps by bringing them to the foreground or overlay themselves invisibly on high. There are additionally adjustments designed to forestall the exploitation of intents, which allow you to begin an exercise in one other app by describing an motion you’d wish to carry out, as they’re typically misused by malware. That is behind-the-scenes stuff to maintain customers safer.

App Archiving

When you haven’t used an app or recreation for some time, it’s possible you’ll be prompted to delete it, however what in case you assume you would possibly use it once more sooner or later? With app archiving in Android 15, you possibly can offload many of the app by archiving it however maintain your consumer settings or save information in video games. The auto-archiving function was introduced final 12 months, however Android 15 makes it a systemwide possibility, so people can select to auto-archive apps when storage is working low.

Good Vibrations

Android 15 allows you to flip keyboard vibrations on or off systemwide, as an alternative of getting to dig into the keyboard settings. There’s a brand new toggle in Settings > Sound and vibration > Vibration and haptics, the place it’s also possible to use sliders to regulate haptic depth (this has been out there on choose Android telephones, however is now systemwide). The second beta additionally introduces wealthy vibrations, so people can decide between several types of notifications with out wanting on the display screen.

Audio Sharing

It ought to be simpler to share audio out of your telephone utilizing Bluetooth LE and Auracast with a brand new settings web page centered on audio sharing. This web page didn’t work within the final Beta, and it is not clear what units will assist the function, however the people at Android Authority managed to get it engaged on a Pixel 8 Professional. The function permits you to broadcast audio out of your telephone to different units inside Bluetooth vary, together with the telephones and earbuds of family and friends who can scan a QR code to hitch.

Higher PDF Dealing with

Attempting to do something with PDF recordsdata in your Android telephone generally is a ache, so the information that Google has constructed a number of PDF enhancements into Android 15 is welcome. PDFs ought to load extra easily, and there may be now assist for password-protected recordsdata, annotations, type modifying, and replica choice. Maybe better of all, now you can search inside PDF recordsdata.

Loudness Management

It may be jarring once you change from one app to a different and the quantity immediately booms. Fortunately, Android 15 introduces assist for the CTA-2075 loudness customary. Meaning it should examine quantity between apps, bear in mind the traits of your audio system, headphones, or earbuds, and intelligently alter the audio to make sure no sudden jumps or drops.

Higher Low-Gentle Digicam

There are a few important enhancements for the digital camera app in Android 15. Firstly, Low Gentle Increase makes for higher previews in low-light situations, so you possibly can body your nighttime pictures higher and scan QR codes when mild is restricted. There are additionally new digital camera app choices to provide you finer management over the flash so you possibly can alter the depth for each single flashes and steady flashlight mode.

Enhanced Fraud and Rip-off Safety

There are a number of updates in Android 15 aimed squarely at thwarting fraudsters and scammers. Google will make use of AI by way of Play Defend and on units to scan for and flag suspicious habits. Messages containing one-time passwords (OTPs), sometimes utilized in two-factor authentication, are actually hidden from the notifications system, making it more durable to intercept them. Restricted settings are additionally being expanded for side-loaded apps—ones that are not downloaded by way of the Google Play Retailer.

Process Bar Choices

For Android tablets and folding telephones, Google has modified the best way the duty bar dock works. Initially, it was everlasting, then it was transient, and now you possibly can select. That is helpful for docked tablets the place you may want a activity bar to all the time show, however it’s additionally good to have the choice to cover it. You can too pin your favourite split-screen app mixtures. Android 15 permits apps to show edge-to-edge, to allow them to make extra of the out there display screen actual property, even when there’s a activity bar or system bar on the backside.

Higher Battery Life

There are all the time tweaks and enhancements to effectivity in Android updates that ought to have a optimistic influence on battery life, however with Android 15, Google is putting extra checks on foreground providers and clamping down on apps that maintain working in an lively state. Gadgets with plenty of RAM also needs to see sooner app and digital camera launch occasions with decrease energy draw, due to assist for bigger web page sizes.

Enhanced Theft Safety

Most of the new Android safeguards that Google is rolling out to discourage thieves—akin to automated locking when somebody snatches your telephone, in addition to distant lock choices—might be coming to units working Android 10 and up. However the replace to manufacturing facility reset safety, which stops thieves who pressure a reset of a stolen system from setting it up once more with out understanding your system or Google account credentials, is just in Android 15.

Extra Foldable Cowl Display screen Choices

Among the greatest folding telephones routinely change no matter motion you are performing onto the quilt display screen once you fold them up, however Google is now integrating that selection into Android 15. When you want the quilt display screen to lock up once you fold, that might be an possibility too. There’s additionally extra assist for apps displaying on smaller cowl screens with the extra compact flip telephone class.

Extra Well being Join Knowledge

Well being Join began as an app to tug all of your well being and health information from totally different units and apps. It got here preinstalled with Android 14, however Android 15 is including two new information sorts: pores and skin temperature (collected by wearables just like the Oura ring and the Pixel Watch 2) in addition to coaching plans—which may embrace completion targets for energy burned, distance, length, repetition, and steps, but in addition efficiency targets round as many repetitions as doable (AMRAP), cadence, coronary heart price, energy, perceived price of exertion, and pace.