Outside of the weird release that was Android 12, Google tends to update its Pixel line to the newest version of Android on the same day that it drops source code. They did this for Android 14 and 13 and 11 and 10 and so on. For Android 15, they may go the route of Android 12 rather than all of the others.
According to a new rumor, Google is planning to release Android 15 source code next week when September arrives, but may not release Android 15 to the Pixel line until October, possibly as late as mid-October. The reported reasoning is to allow the Android team time to improve stability before letting it go stable.
If we look at a calendar, this timeline would mean Android 15 source code dropping at the beginning of September, yet no Pixel device seeing the update to it for at least a month.
Is this something to be concerned about? Well, no. Look, if Google needs time so that it doesn’t release a buggy mess to all of its Pixel phones, including the new Pixel 9 line, we shouldn’t freak out. If anything, it’s just…weird. We’re so accustomed to Google giving us the goods immediately that we just might be in a state of confusion until the update hits. At least we have the Pixel 9 to play with, right?
Android 15 is a fairly big update, while also not being a massive revamp to Android. There are several new features to look forward to, but nothing I would consider game changing.
On a related note, Google is already letting us test Android 15 QPR1 in beta, which is a build newer than what will land on phones when Android 15 goes stable. That’s probably making this whole situation more awkward, but this is how Google works now when it comes to Android 15 and betas. They not only let us test new version of Android, they also gives us access to quarterly builds several months before they go stable.
We’ll let you know early next week what the story is.