Google has officially moved Android 15 to its second beta, bringing a slew of new features to developers and early Android 15 users. Now that the beta has been out for over a month, more devices are starting to access the first version, giving users outside of the Pixel series a chance to check out the latest changes to the operating system.
Of course, Android 15 is the next version of Google's mobile operating system, and it continues to offer new AI features for Android users to take advantage of. Android 15 beta 2 will initially be available on select Pixel devices. The list of supported devices includes:
Pixel 6
Pixel 6 Pro
Pixel 6a
Pixel 7
Pixel 7 Pro
Pixel 7a
pixel tablet
Pixel folding
Pixel 8
Pixel 8 Pro
Google Pixel 8 Pro
In addition to Pixel devices, there are other third-party Android phones supporting the Android 15 Beta. However, keep in mind that the beta versions available also depend on what the manufacturers of those devices have prepared for them. Most of these devices are intended for international users and cannot be used in the United States:
Honor Magic 6 Pro: BVL-N49 8.0.0.148(C431E4R2P2), 8.0.0.152(C636E2R2P2) or higher
Honor Magic V2: VER-N49 8.0.0.105(C431E2R2P2), 8.0.0.105(C636E2R2P2) or higher
vivoX100
iQOO 12
Lenovo Tab Extreme
No phone (2a)
one plus 12
OnePlus Open
OPPO Find N3
Realme 12 Pro+ 5G
Sharp AQUOS sense8
TECNO Carmon 30 Pro
Xiaomi 14
Xiaomi 13T Pro
Xiaomi Tablet 6S Pro 12.4
Android 15 has been available in the Android Developer Preview since February, but Google recently opened the virtual floodgates to let early adopters get in on the action. New features debuting in Android 15 beta 1 include edge-to-edge display mode for default apps, which will make it easier for developers to create apps that display content behind the system bar.
Google has also upgraded the NFC experience on Android 15 to provide a more seamless and reliable experience for tap-to-pay. A major change also makes it easier to archive and unarchive apps, which should help clean up your Android device, although it will still require some input from developers. You can check out all the Android 15 features we've learned about so far, but most of them appear to be geared toward making the operating system more efficient for users.
Android 15 beta 2 new features
With the release of beta 2, Google is rolling out some new features for Android 15: With changes to foreground services, battery life when running apps should be more efficient. Google has also increased support for page sizes to 16KB, which should result in faster app startup times, faster camera startup, and reduced power consumption during startup. The company is also modernizing how Android accesses the GPU, providing a more efficient pipeline for features that rely on smartphone GPUs.
There are also some great new privacy features this year, including Private Spaces, which allows users to create a separate space to house certain apps. Private Spaces require additional authentication to access, making them a secure way to store apps containing sensitive information, such as banking apps. Big-screen multitasking also debuts in the second beta of Android 15: you can now save your favorite split-screen app settings and access them anytime. The transition from full-screen to picture-in-picture mode should also be smoother.
Widgets are also getting some improvements in Android 15 beta 2, with Google adding support for richer widget previews as well as generating previews: this way, you can actually see what the widget will look like before adding it to your home screen . Speaking of previews, the predictive return feature, which shows you a preview of the app or service you want to swipe back to, is also rolling out in this beta.
In addition, Health Connect offers new data types, giving users a more centralized way to control access to their fitness and health data. Google has also expanded the "Choose how you're called" system setting, which was initially rolled out to users in France. This will allow users to decide if they want to be called male, female or neutral.
Other behind-the-scenes changes include fixes to help avoid text clipping in some languages, as well as a new Japanese Hentaigana font, CJK variable fonts, and the option to enable richer vibrations for notifications. The latter gives Android users a way to differentiate between different notifications based on the phone's vibrations.
The beta version is expected to last through the rest of May and June, and Google says it hopes to reach platform stability by the end of June. Android 15 is targeted for the fall release, and based on past releases, we expect the latest Pixel devices to be available around this time as well. Of course, Google is still keeping a full list of new Android features, and we don't expect to know everything about the tech giant until it unveils its next smartphone line later this year. But if you're interested in testing the latest version of Android, you can download Android 15 beta 1 and beta 2 on applicable devices right now.
Keep in mind that beta software is not yet complete and is being tested, which means you may encounter bugs and glitches. Unless you're willing to take these risks, don't install the Android beta on your primary smartphone.