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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 hosting the message has since been deleted. If you go to the page right now, you’ll be greeted with an error message. Fortunately, 9To5Google has a screenshot of the comment and it states, in no uncertain terms, that the “first Developer preview is scheduled for Feb 15”. They even refer to it as “Android V” which the publication explains is a reference to the system’s codename, “Vanilla Ice Cream”.
Early Android builds are typically exclusive to Pixel devices and 9To5Google believes this will be the case with the preview. Because it is meant primarily for developers, the build probably won’t see a public release due to software instability. That said, we do expect to see people crack open the preview and spill all of its contents onto the internet, revealing what Android 15 is capable of.
It’s unknown what this early version of the OS will bring; however, we can look at previous reports to give you an idea of what may be arriving.
Features to expect
Back in December 2023, three features were found hidden in the files of a then-recent Android 14 beta that could appear to be for Android 15.
The first one is called Communal Space which lets users 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 believe there’s a good chance more will be supported at launch. The second is the introduction of a battery health percentage read-out akin to what the iPhone 15 has. It’ll offer a crystal clear indication “of how much your phone’s battery has degraded” compared to when it was fresh out of the box.
The third feature is called Private Space and, according to Android Police, may be Google’s take on Samsung’s Secure Folder. It hides apps on your smartphone away from prying eyes. This can be especially helpful if you happen to share a device with others.
Then in January, more news came out claiming Android 15 might have a feature allowing users to effortlessly share wireless audio streams. On the surface, it sounds similar to Bluetooth Auracast, a unique form of Bluetooth LE Audio for transmitting content. We wouldn’t be surprised if it was Bluetooth Auracast considering it has yet to be widely adopted by smartphone manufacturers.
The last update came in early February revealing Android 15 may soon require all apps on the Google Play Store to support an edge-to-edge mode making it a mandatory setting. The presumed goal here is to better enable full-screen viewing. Edge-to-edge is typically only seen on certain types of apps like video games. Navigation bars and thick black stripes at the top of screens could become a thing of the past as Google establishes a new optimized standard for landscape viewing on Android.
That’s currently all we know about Android 15. Hopefully, that one developer’s slip-up is just the start of Android 15 reveals. While we have you check out TechRadar’s list of the best Android phones for 2024.
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