Following the release of the first Android 15 Developer Preview last month, Google has gone ahead and given us Android 15 Developer Preview 2 today. This second preview brings us closer to the Android 15 Beta which could arrive as early as next month.
In this Android 15 DP2 intermediate build, Google is still mainly talking about the changes that developers should focus on, and it is not recommending that you and I run this on our everyday phones. This is still an early enough version that it may have many bugs and may not be stable. Keep this in mind as you consider flashing your Pixel 6 to Pixel 8 Pro.
Download Android 15 Developer Preview 2
For those willing to take the plunge and install Android 15 Developer Preview 2, there are several ways to do so. You can manually flash the factory image files, use the Android Flash Tool, or if you’re already running Android 15 DP1, you’ll soon see the update over the air. The OTA files are still broken for now and Google doesn’t expect these issues to be fixed until Beta 1.
The second version of Android 15 is:
Release date: March 21, 2024
Production: AP31.240223.016.A3
Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
Security patch level: March 2024
Google Play services: 24.08.12
API diff
V DP1 → V DP2
API 34 → V DP2Downloads: Factory pictures | OTA files
For now, Google has provided flashable factory image files. We have instructions for using this file type here.
What’s new in Android 15 DP2?
We’ll put together separate posts if we find a bunch of fun toys to play with or know about. Below, however, we have the official changelog for DP2 from Google.
- Satellite connection: If you connect to a satellite on your device in Android 15, you’ll see notifications like the one above. Google also says Android 15 brings support for SMS/MMS (and RCS) apps to use satellites to send and receive messages.
- Easier NFC payment experience: Google is developing an updated NFC experience that is more seamless and reliable.
- PDF improvements: This latest DP2 includes an early preview of “significant improvements” to PDF-related APIs. These enhancements include plotting password-protected files, annotations, form editing, selection (with copy), and searching. We’re talking about viewing PDFs locally, not necessarily from a PDF application.
- Cover screen support on folding elements: Google is making the overlay experience on smaller foldable devices (which they now call “flippables”) more robust by adding special overlay support in Android 15. This means developers can tell their apps to support them, when they wouldn’t. by default because these screens are often too small to run Android apps.
- Screen capture detection: We now have support for apps that detect when the screen is being recorded. If they discover such a recording, they may alert you, especially if it reveals sensitive information.
- Volume control: Android 15 supports the CTA-2075 volume standard, so developers can provide consistent sound when switching between content.
This is just a quick overview of some of the new items in DP2. The full text (here) is worth a look if you are a developer. There’s more to do with fonts, app performance and their start and stop states, and more.
Again, this version of Android 15 DP2 is for developers only. We’ll be sure to run it and report anything we find for you.