Android 15 'Vanilla Ice Cream': Everything we know about Google's 2024 update

The most exciting thing about a big Android update is being able to follow the trail of breadcrumbs that point to new features. Google's Android 12 update marked the biggest visual redesign of the operating system since Android 5 Lollipop thanks to Material You. The new design philosophy, along with an exhaustive list of new features, made Android 12 look and feel radically different from previous iterations. Android 13 then came along and doubled down on many of the same aesthetic choices, and Android 14 did the same. Now we're in the waiting room for Android 15, and we already have some ideas of what to expect.

Android 15 has gone through its entire developer preview stage and had a number of betas too, but we expect the final version to arrive in a few months' time. We're well past the addition of new features at this point, and we expect that Google Pixel owners will get the final release first. If you want all there is to know about Android 15 in one place, then you've come to the right page.

What's Android 15 called?

Google ditched its dessert naming scheme for Android years ago with Android 10's brand redesign. The use of dessert names, however, has continued for the company's internal development teams. Android 11, for instance, was called Red Velvet, while Android 12 is known as Snow Cone. Similarly, Android 13 is called Tiramisu, and Android 14 is Upside Down Cake. Google has since been a lot more open about its internal development names, and Android 15 is called Vanilla Ice Cream.

For those of you who are curious, these have been the dessert names (internal or public) of all the Android versions so far:

• Android 1.5: Cupcake
• Android 1.6: Donut
• Android 2.0: Eclair
• Android 2.2: Froyo
• Android 2.3: Gingerbread
• Android 3.0: Honeycomb
• Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich
• Android 4.1: Jelly Bean
• Android 4.4: KitKat
• Android 5.0: Lollipop
• Android 6.0: Marshmallow
• Android 7.0: Nougat
• Android 8.0: Oreo
• Android 9: Pie
• Android 10: Quince Tart
• Android 11: Red Velvet Cake
• Android 12: Snow Cone
• Android 13: Tiramisu
• Android 14: Upside Down Cake
• Android 15: Vanilla Ice Cream

There is no known release date for Android 15 yet, but we suspect that it will follow the same release cadence as in previous years. Android 14 dropped in its developer preview form in February 2023, followed by another developer preview, then four more beta releases until the final release of Android 14 with the launch of the Google Pixel 8 series. We're on track for the same with Android 15.

For developers, Android 15 hit "platform stability" with its third beta, referring to the finalization of APIs. Last year, it coincided with the ability for developers to submit apps targeting the new API level on the Google Play Store, and that's also the case this year.

Will my device get Android 15?

If you have a recent Google Pixel smartphone, like the new Pixel 8 series, rest assured that you will be one of the first to get a taste of Android 15 when it drops. It will still only be in developer preview form (and thus, probably shouldn't be installed on your daily driver), but you'll still be able to try it out. We also expect other device manufacturers to join in on the fun, though it tends to be the case that devices from places like OnePlus and Xiaomi aren't updated as regularly. In other words, beware.

However, if you really want to try Android 15 when it comes out on your smartphone, and there's no official build, you can try out a Generic System Image (GSI).

What's new in Android 15 so far?

Now that all of the main Android 15 updates have come out, we don't really expect there to be many new features. . However, we expect leaks to trickle in over time with new information relating to the next big Android release.

Satellite support

Android 15 is improving support for satellite connectivity, adding UI elements that show the connection as well. Apps will be able to detect when the user is connected to a satellite network, making them aware of the limited connectivity nature of the network in use. Furthermore, SMS/MMS and RCS will also work over satellite connections for sending and receiving messages.

Previously, the only way to add satellite connectivity to Android smartphones was through an additional device like the Motorola Defy. Android 14 was supposed to have satellite connectivity and didn't, but now you'll finally be able to use it natively.

Cover screen support

For devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 that have a cover screen, apps will be able to detect that this cover screen exists and opt-in to be displayed on it. You can't build an app to target these screens (Google says they're too small), but you can say that your app supports them and make it available to be displayed there.

Screen record detection

For developers who want to detect if the screen is being recorded, a new callback API is being added so that the app can react based on whether it is or not. This can be used to inform the user, or simply to prevent content from being shown while the recording is happening.

HDR headroom control

In a gallery of regular SDR images where one is an HDR image, it can adversely affect the perception of the rest of the images and make them seem darker than they should be. With HDR headroom controls, Android 15 chooses an appropriate headroom level to ensure that the screen looks consistent.

Partial screen sharing and recording

introduced in Android 14 QPR2 but coming to most devices in Android 15, you'll now be able to record or share a specific app window, rather than the entire device screen.

Dynamic performance

Android 15 is expanding on the Android Dynamic Performance Framework, which is a framework that lets games control more of the device power and thermals. These new additions include:

• A power-efficiency mode to tell threads they should prefer power efficiency over performance
• GPU and CPU work durations can be reported to allow the system to to adjust their frequencies to better meet the workload demands
• Thermal headroom thresholds can be used to interpret when possible thermal throttling may occur

Privacy Sandbox on Android

Privacy Sandbox on Android is Google's initiative to transform how advertising works on Android devices. Its aim is to strike a balance between protecting user privacy and enabling businesses to deliver relevant ads and measure their effectiveness.

The core idea is to replace traditional tracking identifiers (like your advertising ID) with more privacy-conscious solutions. This includes new technologies that group users with similar interests without directly revealing individual identities. Advertisers can use these interest groups to target ads without compromising user data as directly as they do with current methods. Privacy Sandbox on Android also aims to limit sneaky tracking techniques used by some apps to build profiles about you.

Android 15 will have the latest AD services extension, up to level 10, which includes the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android.

Turning NFC into a Project Mainline module

Mishaal Rahman reported recently that NFC would likely become a Project Mainline module in Android 15, allowing for it to be updated outside of normal Android version updates. It appears to be a part of Google's "ThreadNetwork," where Thread is the networking technology behind Google Nest products. It's long been rumored that Google is working on an AirTag competitor, and this may be related to that work.