We’ll likely get our first look at Android 15 this week. Here’s what we can expect
The first preview version of Android 15 may launch on Thursday, February 15, if a recently discovered developer comment is to be believed.
It was originally posted to Google’s Android Open Source Project website on February 13, although the page on which the post appeared has since been removed. If you go to the page now, you will be greeted with an error message. Happy, 9To5Google has a screenshot of the comment and it states in no uncertain terms that the “first Developer preview is scheduled for February 15.” They’re even calling it “Android V,” which the publication says is a reference to the system’s codename, “Vanilla Ice Cream.”
Early Android builds are typically exclusive to Pixel devices and 9To5Google thinks this will be the case with the preview. Since it’s primarily aimed at developers, the build likely won’t see a public release due to software instability. That said, we do expect people to crack open the preview and spread its entire contents across the internet, revealing what Android 15 is capable of.
It is unknown what this early version of the operating system will bring; However, we can look at previous reports to give you an idea of what may happen.
Features you can expect
In December 2023, three features were found hidden in the files of a then-recent beta version of Android 14 that appeared to be for Android 15.
The first is called Community Space, which allows users to add widgets to the lock screen. At the time of the initial report, only Google Calendar, Google Clock and the main Google app could be added, but we think there’s a good chance that even more will be supported at launch. The second is the introduction of a battery health percentage readout, similar to what the iPhone 15 has. It provides a crystal clear indication “of how much your phone’s battery has deteriorated” compared to when it came straight out of the box.
The third function is called Private Space and, according to Android Police, may be Google’s version of Samsung’s Secure Folder. It hides apps on your smartphone away from prying eyes. This can be especially useful if you share a device with others.
In January, more news emerged claiming that Android 15 might have a feature that would allow users to effortlessly share wireless audio streams. At first glance, it sounds similar to Bluetooth Auracast, a unique form of Bluetooth LE Audio for transmitting content. We wouldn’t be surprised if it were Bluetooth Auracast, as it hasn’t been widely adopted by smartphone manufacturers yet.
The latest update came in early February and revealed that Android 15 may soon require all apps in the Google Play Store support an edge-to-edge mode making it a mandatory institution. The supposed purpose here is to better enable full-screen viewing. Edge-to-edge is typically only seen with certain types of apps, such as video games. Navigation bars and thick black stripes at the top of screens could be a thing of the past now that Google has set a new optimized standard for landscape viewing on Android.
That’s currently all we know about Android 15. Hopefully that one developer’s mistake is just the beginning of Android 15’s reveal. Check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best Android phones for 2024.