Google has released the first official developer preview of Android 15. This version includes infrastructure adjustments focused on strengthening communication between hardware and software. Considering Google’s aim to compete with Apple in hardware and software integration, the importance of working more closely with hardware partners emerges once again. These steps are of strategic importance especially for Google, which has tightened its “friendly competition” relationship with Samsung.
Following an initial preview release available to developers starting Friday, public betas will be released in the spring. Google aims to ensure platform stability by June. Among the updates, improvements to Android’s Dynamic Performance Framework stand out. These improvements aim to manage the interaction of power-intensive apps with the phone’s power systems. The goals of these updates are to better respond to the demands on GPU, CPU and thermal systems and to help applications with long-term background tasks run with energy efficiency.
Innovations in privacy and performance optimization with Android 15
Android 15 also offers stronger protections against malware infiltration of application files. Privacy Moneybox, which comes in its latest release, is an ongoing initiative that looks for ways for apps to benefit from targeted advertising while protecting user privacy. This is intended to preserve some user privacy in the post-cookie world.
However, updates are not just limited to privacy and performance optimization. Android 15 also offers support for the partial screen recording feature, which was introduced in one of Android 14’s quarterly platform release betas. This allows you to record the contents of just one app instead of your entire screen. Android 15 also improves the camera experience in third-party apps, an area Samsung has been working on lately. Image previews captured in low light will be made brighter with additional processing – creating a look more similar to what you’ll see after pressing the shutter button. Application developers will also be able to access flash controls and adjust its intensity.
Google aims to release public Android 15 beta versions between March and April. Android phone sales in the US continue to lag behind Apple, and while the smartphone market is shrinking overall, there’s no sign of this trend changing anytime soon. However, Apple’s adoption of RCS this year will make cross-platform messaging a little less scary and make the move from iPhone to Android a little more appealing. Tighter ties between Samsung and Google could put them in a better position. Strengthening the integration between Android software and hardware could help these companies further challenge Apple.