Less than a month ago, Google officially announced Android 15 and released the first development preview for the software update. Now Google is introducing Android 15 Developer Preview 2 — and with it — several new features that weren’t in Developer Preview 1.
So what’s new in this second developer preview? Here are the biggest things to look out for.
New features of satellite connection
Satellite connectivity has been a talking point for smartphones ever since Apple introduced it on the iPhone 14 series. Now, for Android phones that will finally offer the feature, Android 15 will make sure you know exactly when you are connected and what you can do with your satellite connection.
As you can see in the screenshot above, Android 15 will display the name of your satellite network in the upper left corner, a satellite icon in the upper right corner, plus a notification alerting you that you are connected to a satellite network. Furthermore, Android 15 “provides support for SMS/MMS apps as well as preloaded RCS apps to use the satellite connection to send and receive messages.”
Better support for flip phones
Among all the flip phones available today, flip phones — such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus — are a big part of them. These phones have a small cover screen on the front, and in some cases you can run full apps on those tiny screens.
Android 15 now allows developers to easily mark their apps as allowed to run on these home screens. As Googe explains in its press release, “These screens are too small to be considered compatible targets for Android apps to run on, but your app can include their support, making your app available in more places.” In short, this should mean a better app experience on home screens. As a folding fan for a flip phone, you love to see it.
NFC improvements
NFC isn’t the most exciting smartphone spec to talk about, but it’s important — especially if you rely on Google Wallet for contactless payments. This is another area that Android 15 addresses.
On “supported devices,” Google says apps can “request the NfcAdapter to enter Observe mode, where the device will listen but not respond to NFC readers, sending PollingFrame objects to the app’s NFC service for processing.” In simpler terms, this means that any NFC interactions you have on your phone should be smoother than ever. NFC already works pretty well on Android phones, but if you’ve ever had to hold your phone up to an NFC reader a few times before it finally works, Android 15 you should let it be a thing of the past.
Other Android 15 updates
So we have a better experience with satellite connection, improved support for the cover screen on foldable devices and some NFC upgrades. Is there anything else? Here’s a quick rundown of the other updates coming to Android 15 Developer Preview 2:
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New PDF tools. Android 15 adds more tools to its PDF APIs, making it easier to view password-protected PDF files, search and edit the file, etc.
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Better language switching. After adding multi-language audio recognition and moving to Android 14, Android 15 improves it. In particular, it should help prevent dropped words, especially when talking on the phone while frequently switching languages on the fly.
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Other development tools. As expected with the developer preview, Android 15 DP 2 also has tons of developer tools. This includes an API to help developers launch an app, better insight into how apps are using storage space, and more.
Should you download Android 15 DP 2?
Android 15 Developer Preview 2 is rolling out now and is available for the Google Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series phones, along with the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. Should you go and download it?
Our advice from the first developer review still stands. For most people, no, you shouldn’t download Android 15 DP 2. As the name suggests, Developer Preview 2 is still very much intended for developers – not everyday users. We’ll get to that point soon (the first beta release is on track for April), but until then, you’re better off watching Android 15 from the sidelines.