GOOGLE gave fans plenty of reasons to be excited about Android 15 at its ongoing I/O 2024 event in San Francisco this week.
And senior technology and science reporter Jamie Harris is there with all the details.
1
Android 15 – or One UI 7 for Samsung owners – is the operating system that will succeed Android 14 later this year.
Here’s everything we know about it so far, including all the leaks and rumors:
New features
Android 15 would be codenamed Vanilla Ice Cream, due to its lack of blockbuster features.
But Google is actively trying to shake off that label with a handful of new features powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The tech giant has announced a series of major updates to its AI efforts as it struggles to keep up with ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
Project Astra, the title of Google’s AI work, will help improve the sound of voice assistants so they sound more natural.
It will also be used to power a new all-seeing, all-hearing camera tool that can help locate your lost glasses or misplaced keys in a busy room within the Android-exclusive Gemini app.
THE FIGHT FOR AI
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Senior Technology and Science Reporter
The AI battlefield is seriously heating up as all of tech’s big guns fight for a slice of the action.
Google’s annual I/O event has been on the calendar for months, and OpenAI brutally announced that a surprise “spring update” would happen the day before.
One expert described Chat-GPT4o as making other voice assistants seem “utterly primitive.”
Let’s not forget Apple and Amazon?
Apple is reportedly “closing” a deal with OpenAI to improve Siri on the iPhone.
And Amazon is also racing to update Alexa with some AI.
All of this is just in the voice assistant arena.
AI is becoming inevitable.
Everything from internet searches – as Google announced today – to the photos you take with your phone have some form of AI influence these days.
Android 15 continues our work to build a platform that helps improve your productivity while offering new features
Dave Burke, Vice President of Engineering at Google
Google is also planning a new AI feature that listens for key signs of fraudulent calls and warns you before you make a big mistake.
Most Read on Phones & Gadgets
It’s a true 180° from AI powering more sophisticated scams to now helping stop them.
However, this could be implemented before Android 15 sees the light of day.
On a blog post published in February, Google’s Dave Burke said: “Android 15 continues our work to build a platform that helps improve your productivity while delivering new features to produce superior media experiences, minimize battery impact, maximize Smooth application performance and protect user privacy and security.”
Reports suggest that opening and navigating apps will become faster and camera features in third-party apps like Facebook and WhatsApp will be improved.
Another small but useful new feature that could appear is the ability to see the battery health percentage – a feature you’ll already find on iPhones.
There are also rumors that Android 15 will bring back support for lock screen widgets – like Apple did with iOS 16.
Android does not natively support lock screen widgets, which were lost for Android 5.
Another iPhone feature that is rumored to finally come to Android is the ability to archive unused apps – which is a game changer when it comes to saving storage.
Release date of
The second round of Android 15 beta testing began on May 14, so the official launch is still a long way off.
Google aims for the operating system to be fully stable from June, allowing the tech giant to put the finishing touches on it before its launch.
The final version of Android 15 will likely arrive between August and October, based on previous versions.
Last year, Android 14 was properly released on October 4th, having first revealed details about it in February 2023.
Although Android 13 arrived on August 15, 2022 – stay tuned.
Eligible Phones
When Android 15 is released, the operating system update will first roll out to Google Pixel owners, before reaching owners of Samsung and other branded devices.
So far, Google has made the Android 15 developer preview available for newer Pixel devices, including the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8.
It is understood that the same devices will be eligible to download Android 15 when it is ready, in addition to all of its sister models, including: Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
There is also a chance that the Pixel 5a 5G will also receive Android 15, according to TechRadar, as this model has guaranteed updates until August this year.
Samsung has also published a list of phones that will be able to download Android 15 (or One UI 7) here.
Other phone brands that are also expected to receive Android 15 include OnePlus 12, OnePlus 11, OnePlus Open, Sony Xperia 1 V, Sony Xperia 5 V, Xiaomi 13, and Motorola Razr Plus 2023.
Must-Know Android Tips to Boost Your Phone
Make the most of your Android smartphone with these little-known hacks:
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25199378/HT012_Google_drive.png?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24533981/STK417_Mobile_Banking_2.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1)
