Google is announcing today, that it has started to push the source code for Android 15 over to the Android Open Source Project or AOSP. It will also be available on supported Pixel devices in “the coming weeks” as well as launching on select devices from Samsung, HONOR, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nothing, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo and Xiaomi in the coming months.
So what does this mean for the end-user? Nothing actually. Google is basically releasing the source code for Android 15 to AOSP, allowing partners that don’t use Google Mobile Services to start using the code like Huawei and Amazon. However, it is rumored that Amazon will be working on its own OS for its Fire devices. The update for Pixel devices is still scheduled for sometime in October, though we don’t have a specific date yet. However, Google does usually push out updates on the first Monday of the month. So October 7 could be the date.
What’s new in Android 15?
So what’s actually new in Android 15? Most of the changes are under the hood, as the majority of user-facing features are released in feature drops. But Android 15 does bring music search to Circle to Search. It allows you to search for the songs you hear without having to switch apps. This works for songs being played on social media from your phone or music that is playing nearby. It works a lot like the Now Playing feature on Pixel, but now it’s available on Non-Pixel devices. Just long-press the home button or navigation bar to bring up Circle to Search, and then tap on the music button to identify the song.
You can now hear detailed audio descriptions of images, thanks to Google Gemini. This is a feature that’s part of the TalkBack options on Android, and it’s mostly designed for those that are blind or have low vision. This works for online product images, photos in your camera roll, pictures in text messages or images on social media.
Another accessibility feature – though I don’t think this will only be used by those that are blind or have low vision – is the ability to have web pages read aloud as you explore online. In Chrome, you can now listen to pages, from blog posts, to recipes, to the latest news articles.
Google is also introducing offline maps to your Wear OS smartwatch, so you can travel a new city like a pro, even if you don’t have internet access. Finally, Google is expanding the Android Earthquake Alerts System to all US States and all six US Territories. This is using crowd-sourced earthquake detection technology, and that has helped Google extend the reach of alerts and provide you with potentially life-saving warnings.
Android 15 will be landing on a smartphone near you very soon.
2024-09-04 15:10:20