Android currently has over 70 per cent market share in the world of mobile operating systems, making it the most popular OS across the globe. Like every year, Google will officially unveil the next iteration, Android 15, at its Google I/O annual developers conference on May 14.
Considering the recent developments in the tech world, the upcoming Android 15 is expected to gain quite a few generative AI capabilities, including the native integration of Gemini AI within the core OS, new and enhanced first-party apps, and more. While Android 15 beta has been available for developers for a while, Google has kept most of the headline-worthy features under wraps, which will be revealed during I/O 2024.
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Before that, here is everything we know so far about the next major release of the Android OS:
What we already know about Android 15
Android 15 beta has been available for select Pixel smartphones for quite some time, and Google has officially unveiled some of the changes it is introducing, which includes an edge-to-edge app, where there will no longer be a black bar at the bottom when you open an app, and apps will be able to utilise 100 per cent of the screen, which also makes it look more modern and streamlined.
For this feature to work, app developers have to optimise their apps to SDK 35, the latest Android platform by Google.
Similarly, Android 15 will also be able to handle NFC more efficiently and will enhance experiences like tap-to-pay on supported devices.
Android 15 is also introducing an application archiving capability, where an app which has not been used for a while will be archived to free up internal storage on the OS level. Similarly, Android 15 natively supports Braille displays via the HID standard in both wired and wireless modes.
End-to-end encryption is also getting better with Android 15 with the introduction of a key manager, where apps can be secured using end-to-end encryption on the OS level. Android 15 is also bringing features like secured background activities, where malicious apps won’t be able to bring other apps to the foreground to protect users by minimising abusive interactions.
What we can expect from Android 15
Android 15 is likely to get deeper AI integration. While Google has been offering several AI experiences for Pixel smartphone users for a while, with Android 15, the company is likely to integrate these features on the OS level. This means, not just Pixel, but any phone running on Android 15 will be able to leverage these devices.
With Android 15, Google might either completely replace Assistant with Gemini or it could integrate some of the Gemini AI features within the Google Assistant, which could include but not be limited to a chatbot, image generator, and more. Android 15 could also integrate Samsung and Google exclusive Circle to Search, and the feature will be made available for every Android smartphone, running on Android 15 OS.
Google might also infuse AI into its apps like Google Photos, Docs, Sheets, and more, and we could also get to see some special announcements.
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While Google will announce all these features on Tuesday, they will only be available to the general public in the second half of 2024. The availability of these features will also vary from OEM (original electronics manufacturer) to OEM.
After the Google I/O annual developers conference, Apple will also showcase iOS 18 with AI features in June during WWDC 2024.
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