Google launched Android 15 Developer Preview 2 on Thursday, allowing developers to test an early build of the company’s next major operating system update for Android smartphones. The second preview includes various enhancements to current capabilities, as well as new ones that take advantage of modern smartphone hardware, such as satellite connectivity and foldable displays.
Apps will also acquire additional features, such as identifying whether the screen is being captured. The majority of these improvements are likely to be included in the first open beta, which is set to launch next month.
One of the most significant new features in Android 15 will be satellite connectivity. While manufacturers could always add support for these features, the arrival of official support means that the user interface for this feature should feel more consistent across different satellite networks — including new UI elements such as a status bar icon and interactive notifications, while apps can also detect when a handset is connected to a satellite and offer messaging services.
Near-field communication (NFC) functionality has been improved on Android 15 devices, allowing smartphones to ‘observe’ or listen to NFC scanners without responding. Meanwhile, Google will allow Android 15 apps to detect when the screen is being recorded, allowing them to prevent potentially sensitive information from appearing on the screen at the same time — apps such as Google Pay already provide this functionality when screen recording is enabled on iOS.
Foldable smartphones, particularly clamshell-style devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, presently support running apps (or widgets) on the smaller exterior cover screen, as optimised by the vendor. According to Google, with Android 15, application developers can define a property that allows these apps to be used on the cover displays of foldable phones, despite the small size.
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Android 15 now supports the CTA-2075 loudness standard, allowing for loudness consistency across different content formats – which means you won’t have to constantly go for your phone’s volume buttons to adjust the volume. The Settings app has also been upgraded with an Audio sharing area, which allows you to control your Auracast (a new Bluetooth ‘broadcasting’ capability) sessions.
Google will also allow developers to specify an HDR headroom level, allowing their apps to mix HDR and SDR content rather than the former overpowering the latter. You may also configure the app archiving option in the Settings app, allowing you to archive or restore apps directly from there.
All of these features are presently available on the most recent version of Android 15 DP 2, and they are likely to appear in public beta versions beginning in April.
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