Be adventurous and download Android 15’s first public beta. After two developer previews, the public beta is rolling out a month before Google I/O 2024. To use Android 15 Beta 1, one needs to have Pixel devices.
The Android Developers Blog says: “We’ll have lots more to share as we move through the release cycle, and be sure to tune into Google I/O where you can dive deeper into topics that interest you with over 100 sessions, workshops, codelabs, and demos.”
As expected, there are quite a few changes, like “apps targeting Android 15 are displayed edge-to-edge by default on Android 15 devices”. Then there is partial screen sharing in which users can share or record just an app window rather than the entire device screen.
A more helpful feature is Notification Cooldown to help cope with the amount of notifications we receive. It lowers the volume of successive notifications that come from the same app.
In the camera department, there will be more control over the hardware, like low-light enhancements that give developers control to boost the brightness of the camera preview and advanced flash strength adjustments.
In case you have multiple Bluetooth accessories around, a Quick Setting tile will help you; it will let you toggle the individual connections to connect and disconnect to individual devices.
For foldable, expect better continuity features. You can have the front display turn on whenever you fold your device or lock the front display when you fold your device. Satellite messaging appears to be the other big thing and Desktop mode might be going more the Samsung DeX way.
Public beta is available as a simple over-the-air update but first you'll need to enroll your compatible Pixel device into the Android Beta Programme, and then download and install the update.
In case you are wondering about the next cycle of iOS updates, stay tuned for Apple’s annual WWDC conference on June 10. The company is reportedly been spending millions a day to train its own AI models and there could be plenty of features around generative AI. Besides AI, we can expect the usual slate of feature announcements for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and the company’s other operating systems. If last year was about Vision Pro, this year could be about AI and a rethink of WatchOS, iOS 17’s StandBy Mode and desktop widgets for macOS.