The first Android 15 Developer Preview is now available for select Google Pixel devices. It’s a relatively uneventful release, though it contains some tools that may improve user privacy, app performance, and battery life on Android smartphones and tablets.
Most of the new features in the Android 15 Developer Preview are geared toward performance and battery life. Google has made several improvements to the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF), which provides deep optimization for performance-intensive apps and games. A new power-efficiency mode helps Android 15 perform long-running background tasks with minimal battery consumption, and Android 15 takes a more proactive approach to CPU and GPU reports, so it’s more effective at meeting workload requirements.
But there’s some fun stuff here, too. App developers now have more control over camera hardware, meaning that in-app shooting should be brighter and less grainy. Partial Screen Sharing, which allows you to record a smaller portion of your screen, is also included in Android 15 (but initially appeared in the Android 14 QPR2 beta). And, thanks to updated MIDI support, musicians can now use composition apps to control instrument apps—you might send the MIDI output from a sequencer app to a synthesizer app, for example.
This update also adds fs-verity functionality to the FileIntegrityManager. The fs-verity support layer, which is a Linux kernal feature, uses custom cryptographic signatures to protect apps from malware, exploits, and other threats.
And, as expected, Android 15 introduces new Privacy Sandbox protections to block malicious tracking and fingerprinting. The Privacy Sandbox system is somewhat controversial, as it’s effectively a Google-made replacement for third-party cookies, but it should curb some of the aggressive tracking methods that are utilized by apps and websites.
Other changes may also be included in the Android 15 Developer Preview. We’ll learn more as we go hands-on with the operating system.
Don’t install the Android 15 Developer Preview on your primary smartphone or tablet. This release is unstable and is intended for app development purposes. But, if you’re willing to take the plunge, you can install the Android 15 Developer Preview by following the instructions on Google’s website. Note that this Developer Preview can only be flashed to the Pixel 6, 7, and 8, the Pixel Fold, and the Pixel Tablet.
Source: Google
