Android 15 is released to AOSP
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Android 15 Released to AOSP: What’s New for Developers

Google has officially released Android 15 to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The update will roll out to supported Pixel devices in the coming weeks and to other brands like Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and others over the next few months. Here’s a breakdown of key improvements and new features for developers to take advantage of in Android 15.

1. Improving Your Developer Experience

Android 15 includes several updates aimed at enhancing developer productivity, especially through tools like Android Studio and Jetpack libraries:

  • ApplicationStartInfo API: Provides insights into app startup, including startup reasons, time spent in each phase, and the environment in which the app launches.
  • ProfilingManager API: Allows apps to request heap profiles, dumps, and stack samples for better telemetry and performance monitoring.
  • StorageStats API: Gives more detailed insight into how apps use storage, including APK file splits and libraries.
  • PdfRenderer API: Now supports advanced PDF features such as password protection, annotations, form editing, and linearized viewing for faster local rendering.
  • New SQLite and OpenJDK APIs: Enhancements include methods for retrieving changed row counts, reading last inserted row IDs, and new math utilities in OpenJDK.

2. Improving Typography and Internationalization

Android 15 introduces several improvements to support global typography:

  • Variable Font Support: The buildVariableFamily API allows the creation of FontFamily instances from variable fonts, automatically adjusting weight and italics for compatible fonts.
  • CJK Variable Fonts: NotoSansCJK is now a variable font, opening up more creative options for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text.
  • Hiragana Font: Android 15 includes the old Japanese Hiragana (Hentaigana) font by default, making it easier to support ancient Japanese documents.
  • JUSTIFICATION_MODE_INTER_CHARACTER: Improves text justification for languages like Chinese and Japanese that use whitespace for segmentation.

3. Camera and Media Improvements

Android 15 continues to push the boundaries of media and camera capabilities:

  • HDR and SDR Control: Developers can manage HDR headroom with the setDesiredHdrHeadroom API to avoid washed-out SDR content.
  • Loudness and Compression for AAC Audio: The new LoudnessCodecController adjusts loudness dynamically for better audio experiences on different devices.
  • Low Light Boost: Enhances the preview stream in low-light conditions, which improves tasks like QR code scanning in dim environments.
  • Advanced Flash Control: Developers can now precisely adjust flash strength for both SINGLE and TORCH modes during image capture.
  • MIDI 2.0 Support: Android 15 supports Universal MIDI Packets for virtual MIDI apps, making it easier for composition apps to control synthesizer apps.

4. Improving the User Experience

Android 15 brings several enhancements to improve both user experience and app performance:

  • Split-Screen and Taskbar: Users can save their favorite app combinations for split-screen and pin the taskbar for quicker multitasking on larger screens.
  • Edge-to-Edge Display: Apps targeting SDK 35 will default to edge-to-edge display, with transparent system bars. Developers need to handle overlaps using insets in both Views and Compose.
  • Braille Display Support: TalkBack now supports Braille displays over USB and Bluetooth, improving accessibility for visually impaired users.
  • NFC Improvements: Apps can request observe mode and register filters for one-tap NFC transactions across multiple apps.
  • Small Screen Support: Apps can now be designed to display on the small cover screens of foldable devices.
  • OS-Level App Archiving: Android 15 includes support for archiving apps to save storage without losing user data.

5. Privacy and Security Enhancements

Android 15 continues to focus on privacy and security with these key improvements:

  • Private Space: A new feature that allows users to create a secure, isolated space on their device with additional authentication for sensitive apps.
  • Passkey Support: Android 15 supports passkey sign-in with a single tap and autofill for stored credentials.
  • Recording Detection: Apps can now detect if they are being recorded and notify users when sensitive operations are in progress.
  • Cross-UID Activity Blocking: The new allowCrossUidActivitySwitchFromBelow attribute prevents task hijacking by blocking background apps from launching activities.
  • PendingIntent Security: PendingIntent creators now block background activity launches by default to prevent abuse by malicious apps.

6. Get Your Apps, Libraries, Tools, and Game Engines Ready!

To ensure app compatibility, developers should begin testing their apps on Android 15:

  • Compatibility Testing: Install your app on a device or emulator running Android 15, and review its flows for functional or UI issues.
  • SDK Upgrades: Update your libraries, tools, and game engines to prevent compatibility issues for downstream developers.
  • Target SDK: Once your app is Android 15-compatible, update the target SDK to take full advantage of the new features.

7. App Compatibility

To make the transition smoother, Android 15 prioritizes app compatibility:

  • Opt-In Changes: Most app-facing changes are opt-in until the app targets SDK 35, giving developers more time to update.
  • Toggleable Opt-In Changes: Android 15 allows developers to toggle opt-in changes individually through Developer Options or ADB, making testing easier.
  • Upgrade Assistant: The Android SDK Upgrade Assistant in Android Studio now helps developers with upgrading their target SDK to Android 15.

8. Get Started with Android 15

If you own a Pixel device, you’ll receive the Android 15 update over the air soon. You can also join the Android 15 QPR beta program to try it out earlier. Developers are encouraged to use the update to explore new features, test compatibility, and take advantage of improvements in Android 15.

For more detailed information, visit the official Android 15 developer site.

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