Android 15 hits a major milestone with Google’s latest release

Now that Android 14 QPR3 made its debut as the June Pixel Feature Drop, Google can focus all of its beta development resources on Android 15. Today, the company is moving its next major OS version into the final chapter of development — Android 15 Beta 3 has arrived as the Platform Stability release for the program, finalizing APIs and other app-facing changes so that developers can now ready their wares to properly support Android 15 when it goes public this summer.

Google has announced that Android 15 Beta 3 is now seeding to all eligible Pixel devices enrolled in the beta program, a list that includes the Pixel 6 and newer models. In hitting the Platform Stability milestone, Google has now locked in Android 15’s API Level 35, which, in turn, means that app developers can officially start uploading versions of their apps that target Android 15 on the Play Store as of this release.

Highlights of the new APIs include changes to what happens when you force-close an app — the fact that it’s now stopped indefinitely until you relaunch the app means that widgets will be grayed out after killing an app. Android 15 also now supports devices with a maximum memory page size of up to 16KB — a fourfold increase from the usual 4KB — paving the way for phones with larger amounts of RAM. And with predictive back animations enabled by default, app developers are now better incentivized to add support for the new feature.

But perhaps the biggest app-facing change in this version relates to Google’s introduction of Private space, a feature similar to Samsung’s Secure Folder that allows you to lock certain apps behind an extra layer of authentication. Because this system essentially moves the apps to a modified work profile, developers of certain apps will need to adjust the logic being used around profiles. More importantly, custom launchers will need to be updated to ensure that apps moved to the Private space don’t show up on the home screen or in the app drawer.

Source: Google

Android 15 development is progressing right on schedule

Android 15 Beta 3 is heading to a Pixel near you

Google has already begun seeding today’s release as an OTA update for Pixel 6 and newer models enrolled in its beta program. The company says it may take up to 24 hours to receive the update, which can be found under Settings → System → Software update → System update → Check for updates. Failing that, enrolled phones will be automatically updated within five days.

According to Google’s release notes, there are a handful of user-facing changes in this new version. New Credential Manager tools for developers would allow apps to target username and password fields specifically, something we’re hopeful could solve the problem with Android’s password manager where you have to tap the password field first in order for it to populate both fields.

In its Reddit post announcing the new version, Google rattled off a nice list of bug fixes heading to Pixel phones in this update:

As Mishaal Rahman first reported, today’s update has a build number of AP31.240517.022 on most models. Security patches have been updated to the June 2024 set, moving the beta program in line with Android 14 QPR3. We are starting to the OTA on many of our devices, and the download sizes are clocking in at around 700MB.

If you’re particularly interested in this version and are not seeing the update in Settings yet, there’s always the manual method — just note that you’ll need a computer, and that Google recommends an unlocked bootloader for either method. If you go this route, you’ll need a copy of either the new factory images or the latest OTA file.

Thanks: Anthony, Armando, Kieron, and Moshe