Android 15
Android 15 arrived on Pixel devices starting on October 15, though it did land in AOSP on September 3, 2024. On the surface, Android 15 is a pretty minor update for users, with many of the changes taking place in the backend. That's been a pretty popular theme for Android releases over the last few years, as most of the user-facing features are included in the quarterly feature drops.
Even though Google has stopped using desert names for Android releases, publicly, there is a desert-themed codename for Android 15, which is Vanilla Ice Cream. Android 15 is the fifteenth major release, and twenty-second release of Android, which is mindboggling.
The first developer preview of Android 15 launched in February, with the first public beta launching in April, ahead of Google's annual developer conference – Google I/O. There's been four beta releases, not counting the small dot releases like Beta 2.2. Google generally releases one beta per month until August, with the final release coming in September. Though this year, the Pixel release is about a month later than the open source release, likely to squash some last little bugs that Google has found.
There are some pretty minor design changes in Android 15, which includes the ability to do partial screen sharing, satellite connectivity support, and new in-app camera controls to name a few. Google is also focusing on improving support for foldables and other odd screen aspect ratios.
Android 15 will be rolling out to Google, Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus and more devices near you very soon. Android 16 is already on the horizon, and we're hearing that Google might be releasing this earlier than usual, similar to the early Pixel 9 release this year. Rumors are pointing to it being released before the end of Q2 (that's June 30) of 2025. That would be a full three months early.
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