Here Are All the New Features in Android 15

The first Android 15 Beta has landed and it brings a few new features over DP2. While most changes in Android 15 till now are internal and developer-centric, there are a few user-facing features and quality-of-life changes to improve the overall experience. Some of these features were already available in previous Android 14 QPR updates, while some are brand new. Here’s every new feature in Android 15 as of Beta 1.

Android 15 Features (Available Now)

Since Google takes a long time to release a feature after making an announcement, and sometimes features are enabled using server-side switches, we have divided this list into features available now in Android 15 and those that are coming soon, to avoid confusion. Here are the features you can try right now in Android 15.

1. Notification Cooldown

Notification Cooldown is by far one of the best additions to Android in recent years. Receiving multiple notifications from an app at once results in continuous notification chimes, which could be severely annoying. To counter this, the Notification Cooldown will gradually dip the volume for the subsequent notifications you receive from the app.

This feature can be enabled by going to Settings -> Notifications -> Notification Cooldown. You can then choose from three options — Apply to all notifications, Apply to conversations, and Don’t use notification cooldown. We have a dedicated guide on how to use notification cooldown if you want to check it out.

2. New Keyboard and Brightness Haptics Options

No more fiddling in the keyboard settings of a third-party keyboard to turn off keypress vibrations. Android 15 adds a toggle to allow users to turn off keyboard vibrations. While this may not seem like a huge feature, it’s a great quality-of-life improvement as most third-party Android keyboards have keypress vibration enabled by default.

Android 15 also adds haptic feedback when adjusting the brightness slider from Quick Settings. This was being tested before but is now fully enabled in Android 15.

3. Continue Using Apps on Fold

It still surprises us that the Pixel Fold lacks what’s one of the most defining features of a foldable, i.e. an app would shift and resume on the outer display once the phone’s main display is folded.

Android expert Mishaal Rahman first spotted the feature in Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1, but we never saw it being mentioned until Android 15 DP1.

There’s also a “Swipe up to continue” in the works for the Pixel Fold that’s currently not available. Once enabled, users would be able to fold the device shut and continue from where they left off by swiping up on the front screen.

Sadly, Pixel Fold users will have to wait a little longer to experience it as it’s still uncertain if the feature will arrive in the next feature drop or Android 15 stable release.

4. Bluetooth Quick Setting Tile

One of the basic things that was missing from the Bluetooth Quick Settings button on Pixel devices was the pop-out menu similar to the one in Wi-Fi Quick Settings. The feature was introduced in the recent Android 14 QPR 3 Beta 1, so it’s not exactly a new feature per se as it could arrive as early as in the next feature drop. It would be disappointing if Google held this feature till the stable Android 15 release.

5. Screen Record a Single App

Again, not a completely new feature since it is technically an Android 14 feature and was added to Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1, but it’s here in Android 15.

For those unaware, you could previously record only the entire screen which would mean showing off unnecessary info. However, with the “A single app” option in the screen recording menu, you’re now free to only record the app that you want to record.

For those curious about what happens when you try to hop to other apps, the feature keeps recording for as long as the app that’s being recorded is active in recent apps. Deleting the apps from the multitasking view will cause the recording to stop.

6. New Easter Egg

If you’re a geek, you may already know that Android 15 is codenamed Vanilla Ice Cream internally. Every new OS release brings a new Android version easter egg; Android 15 has one too, but it’s not completely new. It’s the same as Android 14 but has been flipped vertically to resemble a V. Upside Down Cake has been flipped upside down.

7. App Archiving

App Archiving, as the name suggests, is a feature similar to offloading apps on iOS. It’s been in Android’s code for some time, and the feature has finally been enabled in Android 15 Developer Preview 2. App Archiving reduces the storage space an application takes while retaining your login session and important data in the app.

To test the feature out, we archived an app that took 107 MB of space after which its size was reduced to almost 34 MB. Once an app is archived, its app listing will remain in the launcher; tapping on the app can help you restore it. Besides, you can go to the app’s page in settings and tap Restore.

8. Audio Sharing

Android 15 Developer Preview 2 added an “Audio Sharing” feature which can be found in the Connected Devices section in Settings. The feature will help you connect multiple headphones that support Bluetooth LE audio and listen to audio on more Bluetooth devices simultaneously.

The feature isn’t functional right now and the toggle turns off as soon as we exit the page. The Stream settings section too is empty. We can’t wait for Google to finally add it to the Android 15 stable release and see it in action.

9. HD Video in “Device as Webcam” Feature

Recent Android 14 QPR releases added the ability to use your Android devices as a webcam, and while it’s a great feature, the overall video quality when connected to the phone’s camera was restricted to 720p. That changes in the latest Android 15 DP as you can now find an “HQ” icon you can enable to use your Android’s camera to its full extent.

10. New Health Connect Features

For those unaware, Health Connect helps all fitness apps sync various data sets so the user won’t have to enter the data manually each time they switch to a new fitness app. Android 15 features an updated Android Health Module and supports more data types in Health Connect like Fitness, Nutrition, etc.

11. Default Wallet app

Google added a new Default app option for Wallet app in settings using which users can now set their default preference of Wallet app. On Pixels, the default app is set to Google Wallet and because it’s a new feature, not a lot of apps support being set as default wallet apps at the moment.

12. Better Wi-Fi Network Privacy

Android 15 Beta 1 hosts a new WEP network toggle in network preferences with a warning text “WEP is an older security protocol that’s less secure”. Besides, there’s now a privacy option when you go to a Wi-Fi network’s settings. This contains two radio buttons to choose between Use randomized MAC and Use device MAC, alongside a Send device name toggle which you can disable if you don’t want to send your device’s name on the network.

13. New Cellular Network Security Options

Android 15 Beta 1 added two new toggles in More privacy settings. The first option allows Android to send you Security notifications if your cellular network is insecure or if it records your phone’s IMEI. The second option is the Require encryption toggle, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Android 15 Features (Expected)

Here are the Android 15 features that are possibly “coming soon” to your Pixel phone. This means Google could release them in upcoming feature drops or with the release of future Android 15 beta builds.

14. Private Space

Private Space is supposed to be Google’s take on Samsung’s Safe Folder. It could allow users to hide apps with sensitive info in a protected place. It does it by creating a new Android profile tied to your user profile, allowing you to add or remove sensitive apps from a protected space.

It’s easily one of the most awaited Android features besides “dual apps,” which we mentioned in our Android 15 feature wishlist, and should show up in one of the upcoming Android 15 betas.

15. Satellite Messaging

Google could soon add Satellite Messaging through Google messages. The feature is now available in Android’s code but is locked behind a flag. For the uninitiated, this would allow users to communicate via text when there’s no mobile signal.

Interestingly, looking up the feature using the search bar in Settings did list the option. It took us to the SIM card settings where the option was nowhere to be found. We expect this feature to make it into Android 15.

16. Lockscreen Widgets

Before you start jumping in excitement, no Lockscreen widgets aren’t coming to smartphones anytime soon. They are coming to the Pixel Tablet, though. Users will soon be able to add existing widgets on the lockscreen of their Pixel Tablet by going to Settings > Hub mode. Android expert Mishaal Rahman says Google calls this feature “Glanceable Hub” under the hood.

17. Auto Turn-On Bluetooth

Android will soon add an option to automatically turn on Bluetooth. This feature is likely due to the addition of the new Find My Device experience that was recently rolled out. This is to make sure Quick Share is turned on always for seamless file sharing. The auto turn-on Bluetooth feature will turn on Bluetooth after a day. It will tell users when Bluetooth will be enabled again.

The initial release seems to be filled with plenty of new features and improvements to justify calling it a major Android version. Although with lots more updates to come, we’re certain Android 15 will shape up as one of the major Android updates. We also have a few features in our wishlist. If you have any ideas for new features Google should add, do let us know in the comments section below.