Google Ships Android 15, Unwraps New Pixel Drop for Recent Devices

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Android 15 is here and will roll out to Google Pixel devices starting today.

Previous developer documentation points to 2021's Pixel 6 series as the oldest model to support Android 15, which first surfaced in February as a developer preview. On non-Pixel devices, the mobile OS' arrival will depend on how quickly manufacturers enable it through updates to their own software. Historically, some of these companies have been awful at that.

Google today highlighted another reason to install Android 15: making sure your device stays your device. Its leads off with security and privacy features that . The biggest among them: A Private Space option lets you put sensitive apps behind biometric security, hide them from view until unlocked, and even hide that you're using the feature.

Other changes in Android 15 aim to thwart common theft tactics: Turning off Find My Device now requires your passcode or biometric authentication, while the procedure now requires your device or Google credentials after a reset. Those who opted into securing their online accounts with —which we hope is most of you—will find a streamlined sign-in process.

Android 15 includes two interface refinements for and : the ability to pin or unpin a floating taskbar and the option to designate pairs of apps to open with one tap.

Like , Android 15 also folds in some less splashy features:

• Upgraded support for satellite connectivity such as and ’s upcoming broadband for and

• Camera improvements such as an added “Low Light Boost” mode

• PDF search, selection, and annotation tools

• Additional controls for screen-sharing apps

• advances that include expanded support for third-party Braille displays

Pixel Drop Perks

Android 15 isn't the only option coming to Pixel owners, with an extra set of new tools and options for its devices via its latest in series of .

may appreciate the integration of in , easier access to Google’s astrophotography mode, and an underwater mode for phones. This drop also throws in a camera tool that doesn’t involve taking pictures: using the camera as a viewfinder for the nearby-temperature sensor on Pro phones in the and 9 series.

Video editors with any phone in the 8 and 9 series get an Audio Magic Eraser to raise or lower the volume of certain sounds or speakers, although Google says this is only available "in limited markets" for the 9 series.

Pixel phones from the onward will gain an "adaptive vibration" option that uses the device’s microphone and other sensors to check the background level of noise nearby and adjust the vibration intensity accordingly.

As with earlier Pixel Drops, this one includes some features specific to the series. This time, they include the ability to add tiles for individual contacts and reply to Gmail messages with emoji reactions.

A covers one security upgrade coming to much older Android phones: worldwide availability of some theft-protection measures announced . Theft Detection Lock uses on-device AI to watch for signs of a theft in progress, such as the phone moving suddenly, to lock the screen automatically; Offline Device Lock auto-locks the device if it’s been offline for a while; Remote Lock lets you disable the phone without needing to remember your Google password.

These features are coming via Google Play Services updates that don’t require help from phone vendors. It can, therefore, reach considerably older devices going back to those running , which shipped over four years ago and ran on phones as old as the original, .