Android 15: News and Anticipated Price (Free), Release Date, Features and Other Rumors

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Android 15 is due for a release later this year, following Android 14 last fall. We don't know everything yet, but Google has already revealed a lot. We'll also take a look at some of the more interesting Android 15 rumors.

Android 15 Release Date

Android 15 (code named Vanilla Ice Cream) is coming later this year. This isn't a surprise considering Android 15 Beta is available. It even got an official mention at Google I/O 2024.

Once it's ready for the public, you'll get a notification to download Android 15 if your phone supports it.

Lifewire's Release Date Estimate

We expect Android 15 between August and October 2024.

Android 15 Price

Android updates are always free.

Android 15 Features

Between Google I/O, beta builds, and developer previews, here's what we know is coming to Android 15:

Gemini assistant: Gemini will replace Google Assistant as the new built-in AI assistant. It can be overlayed on other apps for contextual awareness, letting you get insights from a long document, for example, without having to read through it all.
AI-powered search: Circle to Search will be updated to deal with formulas, diagrams, graphs, and more.
Private Space: This privacy feature lets you conceal apps (and their notifications) within a password-protected container, keeping them hidden from your other everyday apps. It'll be accessible through the Settings app and can be protected by your existing screen lock PIN/password, or you can set a new one just for Private Space.
Theft Detection Lock: This genius AI feature will know if your phone has been snatched out of your hand and will promptly lock down your phone to keep your information safe.
Scam call protection: Soon, you'll get real-time alerts during a call if the conversation sounds like a scam. If, for example, the caller pretends to be from a legitimate business and asks you to promptly send them money, you'll be told, right there during the call, that this might be spam and you should end the conversation.
Satellite support: You might remember when Apple introduced Emergency SOS via satellite with the iPhone 14. While Apple's version only contacts emergency services, Google's lets you message anyone. Because it uses a satellite, you can text without Wi-Fi or a mobile connection.
Network privacy: A new privacy setting lets you control whether your device's name is shared over a Wi-Fi network. Toggling off "Send device name" will provide some anonymity when connected. Also coming to Android 15 is a toggle called "Security notifications" that will alert you if you connect to an unencrypted cellular network or if the network records your SIM details.
Improved PDF support: Apps will be able to integrate advanced PDF functionalities, including rendering password-protected files, annotations, form editing, searching, and copy-enabled selection.
Screen record detection: With Android 15, apps can detect when they're being recorded.
Better camera previews: Low light improvements will let developers boost the brightness of camera previews.
Loudness control: Incorporating the CTA-2075 loudness standard, Android 15 will support a seamless audio experience by minimizing volume adjustments when transitioning between different content.
New UMP support: Google says that the next version of Android "extends UMP support to virtual MIDI apps." This will enable "composition apps to control synthesizer apps as a virtual MIDI 2.0 device just like a USB MIDI 2.0 device."

Google's Android 15 Developer Preview 1 and DP2 articles have additional details on those features and others, like changes coming to Health Connect and app performance. Also, check out our Android 14 article that lists all the features in that version; everything mentioned there should also carry over to this version of Android.

Beyond those changes are typical improvements expected in any major OS version, like performance enhancements and privacy and UI tweaks. Examples (courtesy of Android researcher Mishaal Rahman) include a new 'keyboard vibration' toggle in the Settings app and a nifty notification cooldown feature.

We'll know more as additional beta versions come closer to the public release. In the meantime, we can look at what the rumors are saying:

Dark mode for all apps: Rahman spotted a new toggle that might come to Android 15 called Make all apps dark. Just as it sounds, it will force apps to go dark even if they don't have a dark theme. I'm curious what sort of visual issues might arise from this...
NFC changes: It's also expected that Android 15 will split NFC from system updates. The idea is to speed up how fast Google can patch problems related to the NFC stack, allowing these updates to come through the Play Store.
Audio sharing: Rahman has also revealed that Android 15 could simplify media audio sharing. This would work over Bluetooth and let you share audio from your phone with nearby devices without the need to pair them. This feature, which has been available since Android 13, will have a dedicated spot in the Settings app.

App archiving: This feature is already available, but it's an automatic process tied into the Play Store. With Android 15, app archiving could be built into the operating system itself. Manual archiving would mean you could save space by archiving any app of your choosing.
Smart home screensaver: We're also hearing that Android 15 could introduce a new screensaver option called Home Controls. While there are already several ways to manage your smart devices on Android, this feature is unique because the controls sit right on the lock screen while your phone or tablet is charging.
Offline location tracking: Android 15 is expected to introduce a new feature called Powered Off Finding that will work with Google’s Find My Device network. The idea is to help you locate a lost device even when the phone is off. There's a hardware requirement, so it won't work on every Android phone, but Android 15 will presumably be the other prerequisite.