6 reasons to avoid the Android 15 developer preview

Key operations

  • The Android 15 developer preview is likely to be unstable, have battery issues, and frequent crashes.
  • Some new features in Android 15 won’t be available until later releases.
  • It is better to wait for the beta version of Android 15, which is more stable and optimized for everyday use.



Google has officially unveiled the first Android 15 developer preview, giving us our first look at what Android will become in 2024. Everyone’s still digging through the data, but we’re expecting some new features, new design elements, and of course, improved security and privacy like it’s a tradition at the moment. More details will be announced in the coming days.

Broken apps, poor battery life, and forced factory reset are just some of the reasons why you shouldn’t install Android 15 just yet.

For now, you have the option to try the developer preview yourself, and we recommend that you don’t. The developer previews are mainly for app and game developers to prepare for the upcoming release, which should be sometime this fall. Broken apps, poor battery life, and forced factory resets are just a few of the reasons why you shouldn’t install Android 15 just yet. If that’s not enough to convince you, below are six reasons why you should wait.



1 Developer previews are unstable

Google still needs to fix countless bugs and optimize the platform

google pixel 8 app widget pairing

As previously stated, developer previews are mostly for developers. It exists so that behind-the-scenes developers can easily see if their apps are compatible with an upcoming Android release with enough time to fix issues if any. Android 15 is no different in this regard, so the same logic applies as always.

Android 15 is not optimized for consumer use and manifests itself in random ways. This means that the OS will occasionally behave clumsily, consume more battery, crash more often and have other problems. There is no tracker or comprehensive list of potential problems, so your mileage may vary. However, the odds are pretty good that you’ll find something wrong.


2 Some of the new features of Android 15 may not work properly yet

Google often waits for later releases to include everything

android phones

Android 15 comes with many new features, including new APIs, more privacy via the Privacy Sandbox update, and better gameplay via the Android Dynamic Performance Framework update. But here’s the thing. Many of these new features are not yet available to try and will not be available until later this year. This is not uncommon as many developer previews do not come with every new feature enabled.

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A famous example of this was the Material You color picker theme from Android 12. Google didn’t include it in the developer previews, or even in the beta version. So people who wanted to see the new themes in action went through all the trouble to install Android 12 only to have to wait for a future release anyway. Android 15 is also likely to have features locked until future releases.


3 You must factory reset to install or exit Android 15

Factory reset is built in for development previews and rollbacks

Pixel 8 Mint Colorway-2

Installing the developer preview is not like installing a regular update. This will restore the phone to its factory settings. This means you have to go through the tedious process of backing up all your data, installing the developer preview, and then restoring everything after you’re done. It adds hours to the experience that many people didn’t know existed.

That said, let’s say you run into one of the other issues on this list and want to go back to Android 14. Well, that requires doing a factory reset again, which means you’ll have to go through the process a second time. Today’s backup methods make it a lot easier than it used to be, but it’s still an unnecessary annoyance that you can avoid by waiting for a future Android 15 release.


4 Some apps and games may not work properly

Previews exist to help developers prepare for the next version of AndroidPixel 8 Mint Colorway with Pixel 8 Pro Bay

As previously stated, the whole point of the developer preview is to help developers prepare their apps for the official launch of Android 15 later this year. They haven’t had time to optimize or fix their apps, which can lead to unstable experiences. Additionally, developers haven’t had time to integrate new APIs, so app-specific features simply won’t be available on day one, or even week one.

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This is more common nowadays for games than apps, as most mainstream apps are optimized enough to run on Android 15. However, app and game misbehavior is a common problem during developer reviews. Support will improve during the beta program, but it’s not worth the hassle to deal with right now.

5 It won’t look much different from Android 14

Design changes have been minimal over the past few years

Pixel 8 Mint Colorway-8


Over the past few years, we’ve seen very little progress in terms of design and usability compared to previous versions of Android. Basically, Google is optimizing and tweaking its existing formula rather than trying something new. So even if you end up installing it, it will look and feel pretty much like Android 14. Just with more bugs.

Basically, unless Google shocks us all with a big new feature, what you’ll be looking at is something that will look and feel like Android 14 with some minor changes to things like the settings menu, animations, and other little bits that many people might not would not even notice. Such a small difference in usability is not worth the drama of installing and setting up a new OS.

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6 Waiting until the Android 15 beta is a better move

Google is releasing a beta version for consumers to try and it is much more stable

google android release timeline 15 -1

Google


In a few months, we will see the first beta version of Android 15. This release has bug fixes, performance improvements and optimizations that are currently missing from the developer preview. Therefore, it is much more stable and ready for everyday use than any previous developer preview. Granted, it’s still not bug-free or fully optimized, but you’re much less likely to run into problems.

Plus, by waiting for the beta, you give developers time to optimize their apps for the new OS, resulting in a smoother experience across the board. Google also releases several beta versions in relatively quick succession. Each subsequent one will result in an even better overall experience. Therefore, it is much more sensible to wait until the beta version is released so that you can enjoy it more. According to Google’s timeline, you can expect the first beta sometime in April.

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