- Google has released Android 15 Beta 2 which brings the much-awaited features people were hoping for.
- Features like Private Space, Sattelite connectivity support, app pairs, and vibrations for notification channels have been added with this update.
- You can go ahead and install this Beta release on Pixel 6 series or newer devices by signing up for Android Beta Program.
Google didn’t discuss anything about the upcoming version of Android as many of us anticipated as Gemini took all the limelight. But finally, the second Beta for Android 15 is here and unlike previous builds, it brings a lot of changes both in the UI and under the hood. This also brings the next release of Android a step closer to a stable release. So, let’s discuss everything new in Android 15 Beta 2.
Private Space
The rumored Private space has finally made its debut in this Beta. This is kind of like a hidden or private apps folder that we have seen in other Android skins. It creates a separate user profile where you can hide sensitive apps you don’t want others to look into.
It creates a separate profile in your device which will be paused when your phone is locked. The app launcher in Android 15 will show apps added to the Private Space in a separate section. They will be hidden from the recent, notification tray, and the settings app as long as the profile is locked.
Satellite Connectivity Support
We also get to see further improvements in Satellite connectivity support on Android in the form of additions of UI elements. There is now support for SMS and MMS apps to use satellite connectivity for sending and receiving messages. Google Messages may also support this feature.
Other apps on your phone will also be more aware of why full network services are not available at the moment.
Split Screen App Pairs
On Android 15, you now have the option to create app pairs. It lets you create a shortcut of a pair of two apps that you had opened in split screen view. You can save this pair from the Recents screen and add it to the home screen for easier access.
Vibration Effects for Notification Channels
To further improve how notifications work in Android, Google has added rich vibration for notification channels. This means that you can set different vibration styles for incoming notifications from the same app.
So you can set a separate vibration type for incoming messages and another one for the likes or replies to your comments, making it easy to distinguish between notifications with haptics.
Rich Widget Previews
Widgets in Android 15 also get a personal touch as support for generated previews gets added. This will allow remote-view access to the Widget page, allowing it to update the preview to show how it will actually look on your home screen.
Basically, instead of using a placeholder image or a contact card, widgets in Android 15 will show an image of one of your favorite contacts or a photo from your gallery.
Apps will now highlight the most recently or last selected photos, videos, and other media when you choose the Partial Access option in media permissions. This new feature will help improve the overall user experience for apps that often ask for media access on your device.
Android 15 also helps to bring much-needed polish to existing features like Picture in Picture mode. This feature has been available since Android 8 Oreo, but now you will notice a smoother animation when entering PiP mode.
These were some of the major changes and additions that have come with Android 15 beta 2. Other than that, we also got to see a lot of under-the-hood improvements as well. What are your thoughts on these new features? Have they got you excited about Android 15? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
