Android OS Android 15: What's New, Release History & EOL Status

What is New in Android 15

Android 15 continues to improve privacy, security, performance, and user experience while introducing useful tools for developers. The release focuses on giving users more control over their data, making the system more efficient, and preparing the platform for modern hardware and larger screens.

Privacy and Security Enhancements

Android 15 brings several meaningful privacy improvements. Users can now create a Private Space to hide sensitive apps behind extra authentication. Apps must request explicit permission to access the local network, and the photo picker has been refined so users can easily revoke access to recently selected media.

Health Connect adds new data types including fitness, nutrition, skin temperature, and training plans. The system now supports partial screen sharing with better customization options. For developers, Android 15 restricts older TLS versions and introduces safer Intent handling to prevent malicious background activity launches.

Other security features include Credential Manager integration with biometric prompts, a new Key sharing API for end-to-end encryption, and stronger protection against Intent redirection attacks.

Performance and Battery Improvements

Android 15 gives developers better visibility and control over app performance. The new ApplicationStartInfo API helps understand what triggered an app launch and how long each phase took. Storage statistics now break down usage by data type, and the ProfilingManager allows apps to collect profiling data internally.

JobScheduler and SQLite have received optimizations, while the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF) offers improved APIs for games and performance-critical applications. These changes help reduce battery drain and make apps feel more responsive.

User Interface and Experience Updates

The system UI in Android 15 feels smoother and more consistent. Predictive back animations are now enabled by default for apps that opt in, with elegant system transitions. Edge-to-edge display is enforced for apps targeting Android 15, ensuring content is not clipped by system bars.

Notifications support richer vibration patterns per channel, and Do Not Disturb rules can be customized more flexibly. The system now uses elegant text height by default for better readability, especially with complex scripts. Picture-in-Picture mode includes a new callback to handle UI state changes during animation.

Camera, Media, and Graphics

Camera2 gains a Low Light Boost auto-exposure mode and more in-app controls through camera extensions. Developers can now control HDR headroom and benefit from improved AV1 software decoding on devices without hardware support.

Media enhancements include the LoudnessCodecController to maintain consistent volume levels and better support for Virtual MIDI 2.0. The Canvas graphics system continues to be modernized, and ANGLE is becoming the standard layer for OpenGL ES over Vulkan on new devices.

Accessibility and Internationalization

Accessibility receives nice upgrades with better Braille display support over USB and secure Bluetooth connections via TalkBack. International users benefit from improved line breaking for complex scripts, variable fonts for CJK languages, and better justification options.

Key Developer Changes and APIs

Android 15 includes many developer-focused updates:

These changes help developers build more secure, efficient, and polished applications while preparing for future hardware capabilities.

Summary

Android 15 delivers a solid mix of privacy protections, performance tools, and user experience refinements. With features like Private Space, improved predictive back animations, better camera controls, and stronger security measures, it makes the platform more private, responsive, and ready for modern devices including foldables and large screens.

The update focuses on practical improvements that benefit both everyday users and developers without requiring major redesigns for existing apps.