Posted by Matthew McCullough – VP of Product Management, Android Developer
Today we’re rolling out Beta 4, the last planned update in our Android 15 beta program. So make sure your apps are ready and that you’ve given us critical feedback before non-beta users start using Android 15.
This is our second Platform stability release; the developer APIs and all app-facing behaviors are final for you to review and integrate into your apps, and apps targeting Android 15 can be made available in Google Play. Beta 4 includes our latest fixes and optimizations, so you have everything you need to complete your testing. Visit our Android 15 summary page for a list of the features and behavior changes we covered in this article series of blog postsor read on for some of the key changes to look out for.
Removed PNG based emoji font
Android 15 is removing the old PNG-based emoji font file (NotoColorEmojiLegacy.ttf), meaning that some Android 15 devices like the Pixel will only have the vector-based file. Starting in Android 13, the emoji font file used by the system emoji renderer has changed from a PNG-based file to a vector-based file. We kept the old font file in Android 13 and 14 for compatibility reasons, so that apps with their own font renderers could continue to use the old font until they could upgrade.
You can customize your app in several ways:
- Use platform text rendering. You can render text to a bitmap-supported Canvas and use that to get a rough image if needed.
Get your apps, libraries, tools and game engines ready!
If you are developing an SDK, library, tool, or game engine, it is important to prepare all necessary updates now to avoid blocking your downstream app and game developers from compatibility issues and to allow them to focus on the latest SDK features. Let your developers know if any updates are needed to fully support Android 15.
Testing your app involves installing your production app via Google Play or other means on a device or emulator running Android 15 Beta 4. Work through all the flows of your app and look for any functional or UI issues. Check out the behavioral changes to focus your testing. Every release of Android includes platform changes that improve privacy, security, and overall user experience, and these changes can impact your apps. Here are some changes to focus on that apply even if you’re not targeting Android 15 yet:
- Support for 16 KB page sizes – Starting with Android 15, Android supports devices configured to use a 16KB page size. If your app or library uses the NDK, either directly or indirectly via an SDK, you will likely need to rebuild your app to make it work on these devices.
- Support for private spaces – Private space is a new feature in Android 15 that allows users to create a separate space on their device where they can protect sensitive apps from prying eyes, using an extra layer of authentication.
Remember to thoroughly exercise the libraries and SDKs your app uses during your compatibility testing. You may need to update to current SDK versions or contact the developer for assistance if you encounter any issues.
Once you have published the Android 15 compatible version of your app, you can start using the process Unpleasant update your apps targetSdkVersionReview the behavioral changes that apply when your app targets Android 15 and use the compatibility framework to quickly detect issues.
Take advantage of new platform features!
Go beyond getting your app ready and take advantage of new features that will help your app stand out on Android 15 devices:
- The font file for Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) languages, NotoSansCJK, is now a variable font opening up new possibilities for creative typography.
- The ApplicationStartInfo The API gives you insights into the startup of your app, including startup status, time spent in startup phases, how your app started when your Application class was instantiated, and more.
- Of partial screen sharing Users can only share or record an app window instead of the entire device screen.
- Generated Previews allow your app widget providers to generate Distance displays which contain live content and accurate device themes that you can use as a sample of the selector, rather than a generic static resource.
Today's beta has everything you need to try out Android 15's features, test your apps, and let us know. feedbackNow that we are in beta, you can check here to receive information about registering your device; Register supported Pixel devices will deliver this and future Android Beta updates over-the-air. These OTAs begin tonight PDT. If you don't have a supported device, you can use the 64-bit system images with the Android Emulator in Android Studio. If you are already in the Android 14 QPR Beta Program On a supported device, you will be automatically updated to Android 15 Beta 4.
For the best development experience with Android 15, we recommend that you latest version of Android Studio Koala. Once you to set uphere are some things you need to do:
- Try the new features and APIs – Your feedback is crucial during the early stages of the Developer Preview and Beta program. Please report any issues in our tracker on the feedback page.
- Test your current app for compatibility – Find out if your app is affected by changes in Android 15; install your app on a device or emulator running Android 15 and test it extensively.
- Update your app with the Android SDK Upgrade Assistant – The latest Android Studio Koala Feature Drop release now includes changes to the Android 15 API and guides you through the steps to upgrade your Android version. targetSdkVersion with the Android SDK Upgrade Assistant.
We will continue to update the beta system images and SDK regularly throughout the remainder of the Android 15 release cycle. Read more here.
For full information, visit the Android 15 Developer Site.
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