Better app archiving & more

The launch of the first Android 15 Beta is here and it brings a suite of changes that are all aimed at making things more convenient for both developers and users. As a beta, users might be more inclined to check it out. On top of that, Google should be sending OTA updates to those enrolled in the beta. So if you’re not a developer and want to test out the new software, keep an eye out for the alert that it’s available for download. As well as enroll in the beta if you haven’t done so already.

In terms of what’s new, users can expect things like better archiving and unarchiving of applications. While this might not seem like anything important, it will actually make things more streamlined. Google says this should help performance by allowing users to more easily free up space by partially removing apps that aren’t being used as often. Your data for those apps is still there though so you aren’t uninstalling everything. Just the bits that aren’t necessary. Now, app archiving itself is not new as Google introduced it last year with Android 14. However, Android 15 improves upon it by expanding the support to the OS level.

What this means is that third-party app stores can now more easily implement the archiving and unarchiving capabilities. So users will end up being able to partially remove more infrequently used apps than before. Then when they plan to use them again they can unarchive them.

The launch of Android 15 Beta 1 brings in better security

Google is continuing its quest for ever better security in Android and with the Android 15 Beta 1, that manifests in a few ways. Malicious background apps are where we’ll start. In the Android 15 Beta 1, Google is improving this aspect by adding more ways to prevent malicious background apps from bringing other apps to the foreground. Malicious apps acting in the background to bring other apps forward can be a huge problem if the security isn’t where it should be.

Specifically, because these apps brought to the foreground could end up abusing user interaction due to elevated privileges. Android 15 Beta 1 also introduces improved user capability to secure contact information. Google is making this work by introducing the E2eeContactKeysManager which “facilitates end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in your Android apps by providing an OS-level API for the storage of cryptographic public keys.”

Basically, it’s a way to securely manage and verify the contact information you have stored on your device.

Better support for braille displays

Android 15 Beta 1 introduces better support for braille displays. Support for braille displays already exists in Android but the current method works by connecting a braille display either through Bluetooth or USB. In Android 15, Google has added support for braille displays that work off a Human Interface Device protocol. This is designed to improve the accessibility of the device in conjunction with the TalkBack features. Google says this will help Android support a “wider range of braille displays over time.” So the intention here is to enable more people to use Android.

Default edge-to-edge display for Android 15-targeted apps, and improved NFC experiences

(Left: Android 14 – Right: Android 15)

Google is making some improvements for developers to better implement the edge-to-edge display visibility for apps. For users, more apps should end up appearing as edge-to-edge. Visually, this will place the content draw behind the default, and system bars will be transparent or translucent as you see in the image above. As for improved NFC experiences, this is something that Google brought forward with the most recent developer preview of Android 15. The beta will make things even better by allowing apps to register a fingerprint on supported devices.

In implementing this, apps can now “be notified of polling loop activity, which allows for smooth operation with multiple NFC-aware applications.” What this means for users is that using NFC-based features should happen a lot more smoothly. In Developer Preview 2, this focused on making tap to pay experiences quicker and more convenient.

The release schedule

This is the first Android 15 beta but there’s still more than a few months before we reach a stable and final rollout. Starting with the first beta today, users can now participate in the software as early adopters. While users could install the developer previews, it wasn’t recommended as they were really meant for developers to start ensuring their apps were meeting Android 15 standards. With today’s release, Google is once again highlighting the release schedule for future updates. This includes another beta release in May, as well as beta releases in June and July that will have “platform stability,” then reaching a final rollout later this year.