The 5 most intriguing Android 15 features (and how to enjoy 3 of ’em on any device today)

Holy leapin’ lizards, Larry! It may seem like Google’s Android 14 update is still sizzling and fresh out of the fryer, but we’re officially on our way toward 2024’s Android 15 release — with the first developer preview now out in the wild and in front of us.

To be clear, we’re far from the finish line still, and what we’re seeing right now is almost certainly not the complete picture. But, oh yes, Le Googlé let loose on its first public Android 15 release the other day, and that means we’re getting our closest look yet at some of what the company’s got cookin’.

This is only the first of six expected prelaunch previews Google’s gonna give us. If everything sticks to the current schedule, we’ll see another developer preview drop in March, then four beta releases between April and July — with the final Android 15 rollout being ready and raring to roll sometime soon after, in the late summer to early fall months.

And while this first preview is still rough around the edges and really not meant for daily use among mere mortals like us, it — along with all the open-source code work we’ve been watching in the weeks leading up to this — gives us a pretty good idea of what’s in the works and likely to be heading our way soon.

With the ever-present caveats that things can change and under-development features can get pushed back while out-of-sight surprises appear, here are the five most interesting Android 15 elements we’ve seen so far — along with instructions on how you can implement eerily similar setups for three of ’em on your own phone this minute, no matter who made it or what Android version it’s running.

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Ready to dive in?

Android 15 feature #1: Notification cooldown

We’ll start with perhaps the most prominent front-facing feature present in Android 15 right now, and that’s a snazzy little somethin’ called “notification cooldown.” In the simplest possible terms, it’s essentially a way to keep overly active alerts from annoying you endlessly.

Surely you’ve felt the need for this type of feature, right? One of those moments when an overly chatty friend or family member keeps sending you rapid-fire messages in the middle of a busy work day and your phone keeps dinging every seven seconds as a result? Or maybe it’s a team chat in Slack that’s going off the rails and causing your device to go wild.

Well, Android 15 will offer an option to “gradually lower the notification volume when you get many successive notifications from the same app” — either in general or specific only to notifications that are considered “conversations.” A handy bit of protection for the next bout of virtual woodpeckering you encounter, without a doubt.

But hey, why wait? You can give yourself that same sanity-saving superpower with even more versatility right now, if you know where to look. I’ve got all the steps you need in this giddy guide.

Android 15 feature #2: Notification protection

Speaking of notifications, Google’s also got plans for Android 15 to make it harder for apps to access sensitive info inside your phone’s notifications.

As discovered by my pal and noted Android code sleuth Mishaal Rahman, recent Android builds indicate progress on a feature related to sensitive notifications — what seems to be a whole new system for redacting info like authentication codes from most apps’ views of incoming alerts, even if you’ve technically granted them access to that data.

It’d apparently then introduce a new and more nuanced permission that’d be required for any apps to receive such sensitive notifications, specifically, and likely allow only preinstalled system apps to have that power.

That’d effectively eliminate a common type of scam in which a shady app asks for permission to see your notifications and then uses that to snag critical authentication codes out of incoming messages.

Now, it’s true that a little simple security hygiene along with a pinch of common sense can keep you protected from this sort of situation, anyway — but clearly, lots of people don’t manage to handle that on their own. So having some extra protection built in at the platform level could only be a good thing.

Android 15 feature #3: Simpler multitasking

We’ve been hearing about the notion of “app pairs” in Android for some time now — the aim of making it easier to use the software’s screen-splitting system by keeping specific sets of apps together and ready to launch in tandem with a single tap.

It’s a smart step forward for an awesome Android advantage that’s long been buried and out of sight for most of us. And while its inclusion in Android 15 still isn’t certain, we do know that Google’s been making progress in polishing the feature and preparing it for some manner of release.

And guess what? You don’t have to wait for this one, either. Follow the quick ‘n’ easy workaround in this recent guide o’ mine to upgrade your device’s multitasking setup and give yourself the pleasure of app pairs this minute.

Android 15 feature #4: Adaptive touch

These fancy-schmancy schmartphones of ours have gotten pretty darn good at adapting to a variety of touch-related challenges — ranging from the added pressure required with a screen protector to the heightened sensitivity needed for effective glove-wearing-weather use.

One thing they haven’t yet mastered, however, is being able to make those adjustments seamlessly and without the need for us to manually maneuver some out-of-the-way setting.

Android 15 may correct that. Some code from a recent release reveals work on something called “adaptive touch.” As per its description, the feature could “automatically adjust to your environment, activities, and screen protector” so that your screen remains as responsive as possible to your loving caresses — no matter what else is going on around you.

It’s possible this one could end up being a Pixel-exclusive addition, but it’d be a welcome new (ahem) touch either way.

Android 15 feature #5: Lock screen widgets

Last but not least is an Android feature resurrection straight from the Google flip-flop hilarity department — and that’s the availability of custom widgets on our lock screens.

Android, as you may or may not recall, actually launched lock screen widgets way back in 2012, as part of the Android 4.2 update of that era. But then Google did Its Google Thang™ and killed the feature off two years later, with no fanfare and for no apparent reason.

Fast-forward about a decade, and now we’ve got Apple offering that very same concept in its magical and revolutionary iGarden. And that, naturally, means Google’s gonna do the awkward catchup dance and relaunch something it was ahead on before it gave up. (Oh, Google…)

All bemusement aside, bringing this type of flexibility back into Android at the platform level can obviously only be a positive. And while the specific circumstances around Google’s current vision for the feature — as well as its timing — remain a bit murky at the moment, there’s good reason to think something is in the works.

And once again, as an exceptionally resourceful Android Intelligence reader, you can give yourself that same gift without any restrictions or delays. Just revisit this crafty pinch of power-user customization, and you’ll be feeling those ahead-of-the-game Android 15 vibes in no time.

And hey, stay tuned: Our Android 15 story is just getting started. We’ve got plenty of uncertainty yet in both the scope and the specifics of the software as well as the possibility of any still-shrouded surprises, and the months ahead should show us lots more about our collective tech future.

For now, though, one thing we can say for certain is that it’s shaping up to be another action-packed year here in the land o’ Googley matters. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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