At Google I/O 2024, Google outlined its plans to “reimagine” Android with the Google Gemini Large Language Model (LLM), and while we may not see the fruits of that ambition as soon as Android 15, a version was released Android 15 beta recently. has gave us a better idea of what to expect from the company's next big software revamp.
In a dedicated blog post announcing the second beta of Android 15 (the first arrived in April after two separate developer previews), Google mentions a number of previously rumored features that we expect to be included in the release. end of Android 15.
The most notable new addition is Private Space, which gives Android users the ability to hide sensitive files, apps, and even notifications in a separate password-protected area called (you guessed it) Private Space. From the looks of it, this feature is an improved version of Samsung's Secure Folder, although the latter can only store files, while Private Space can keep all types of content away from prying eyes (it's the largest of several new versions Android 15 beta). functions dedicated to protecting user privacy).
The second beta of Android 15 also includes an updated version of Predictive Back, which gives users the opportunity to preview the result of a gesture navigation action. before commit to the action itself. In Android 14, Predictive Back is an optional feature for developers, but it looks like Android 15 could make gesture previews occur by default when triggering actions including returning home, cross-tasking, and cross-activities.
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Google expects Android 15 itself to “improve user productivity, minimize battery impact, maximize smooth app performance, protect user privacy and security, and provide users with a premium device experience.” The following features, in addition to those listed above, are just some of the ways the Android 15 beta moves toward that ambition:
- Improved multitasking on the big screen: “Android 15 beta 2 gives users better ways to multitask on big-screen devices. For example, users can pin the taskbar to the screen to quickly switch between apps or save their favorite app combinations in split screen for quick access.”
- Improved access to selected photos: “Apps may now highlight only the most recently selected photos and videos when partial access to media permissions is granted. “This can improve the user experience for apps that frequently request access to photos and videos.”
- Safe background activity launches: “Android 15 protects users from malicious apps and gives them more control over their devices by adding changes that prevent malicious background apps from putting other apps in the foreground, elevating their privileges, and abusing user interaction.”
- Smoother picture-to-picture transitions: “Android 15 introduces new changes to Picture in Picture (PiP) that ensure an even smoother transition when entering PiP mode. This will be beneficial for applications that have UI elements overlaid on top of their main UI, which goes to PiP.”
- System Preference “Choose how you are addressed”: “Initially only in French, but soon expanding to additional gender languages, users can customize how the Android system addresses them with a grammatical gender preference.”
The second beta version of Android 15 is now available to download on a variety of devices from Android partners, including Lenovo, Nothing, Oppo, Honor, Xiaomi, and of course Google itself (i.e. the best Pixel phones). As to whether you ought downloading it, however, that's another story.
Although useful for testing potential new features, Android previews are primarily intended to help developers optimize new and existing apps. In other words, the second beta of Android 15 is likely to be buggy like an electric fly swatter in the middle of summer. Therefore, we recommend postponing the download until the full version of Android 15 is released later this year (a release date between August and October 2024 seems the most likely).
