The following table lists all documented features and behavior changes that might affect app developers. Use this list to find changes that affect you, and then click the corresponding link to read the documentation.
| Category | Type | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Camera and media | New features and APIs |
In-app Camera Controls Android 15 adds new extensions for more control over the camera hardware and its algorithms on supported devices. |
| Camera and media | New features and APIs |
HDR headroom control Android 15 lets you control the HDR headroom with setDesiredHdrHeadroom to strike a balance between SDR and HDR content. |
| Camera and media | New features and APIs |
Loudness control Android 15 introduces the LoudnessCodecController API, based on the CTA-2075 loudness standard. This API can help you manage audio loudness inconsistencies to make sure users don't have to constantly adjust volume when switching between content or apps. |
| Camera and media | New features and APIs |
Virtual MIDI 2.0 Devices Android 15 extends UMP support to virtual MIDI apps, enabling composition apps to control synthesizer apps as a virtual MIDI 2.0 device just like they would with an USB MIDI 2.0 device. |
| Camera and media | Deprecation |
Use Spatializer instead of Virtualizer In Android 15, we're deprecating the Virtualizer class. |
| Camera and media | Change (all apps) |
Direct and offload audio playback now invalidates previously open
direct or offload audio
tracks when resource limits are reached Beginning with Android 15, when an app requests direct playback, the system invalidates any currently open direct AudioTrack objects which
prevent fulfilling the new track request. |
| Camera and media | Change (apps targeting 15+) |
Restrictions on requesting audio focus Apps that target Android 15 must be the top app or running an audio-related foreground service in order to request audio focus. |
| Connectivity | New features and APIs |
Satellite support Android 15 continues to extend platform support for satellite connectivity and includes some UI elements to ensure a consistent user experience across the satellite connectivity landscape. |
| Connectivity | New features and APIs |
Smoother NFC experiences Android 15 is working to make the tap to pay experience more seamless and reliable while continuing to support Android's robust NFC app ecosystem. |
| Connectivity | New features and APIs |
Wallet role Android 15 introduces a new Wallet role that allows tighter integration with the user's preferred wallet app. |
| Core functionality | Change (all apps) |
Changes to package stopped state In Android 15, apps are only be removed from the FLAG_STOPPED state through direct or indirect user action. In addition to the existing restrictions, the system also cancels all pending intents when the app enters the stopped state on Android 15. |
| Core functionality | Change (apps targeting 15+) |
New media processing foreground service type Android 15 introduces a new foreground service type, mediaProcessing. This service type is appropriate for operations like transcoding media files. |
| Core functionality | Change (apps targeting 15+) |
Restrictions on BOOT_COMPLETED broadcast receivers launching foreground servicesFor apps targeting Android 15, BOOT_COMPLETED receivers are not allowed to launch some types of foreground services. |
| Core functionality | Change (apps targeting 15+) |
Key management for end-to-end encryption New E2eeContactKeysManager class, which facilitates
end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in your Android apps. |
| Developer productivity and tools | New features and APIs |
PDF improvements Android 15 Developer Preview 2 includes an early preview of substantial improvements to the PdfRenderer APIs. |
| Developer productivity and tools | New features and APIs |
Automatic language switching refinements Android 15 adds additional controls to help apps tune automatic language switching to their use case. |
| Developer productivity and tools | New features and APIs |
Granular line break controls Starting in Android 15, a TextView and the underlying line breaker can preserve the given portion of text in the same line to improve readability. |
| Developer productivity and tools | New features and APIs |
OpenJDK 17 updates Android 15 continues the work of refreshing Android's core libraries to align with the features in the latest OpenJDK LTS releases. |
| Large screens and form factors | New features and APIs |
Cover screen support Your app can declare a property that Android 15 uses to allow your Application or Activity to be presented on the small cover screens of supported flippable devices. |
| Non-SDK interface restrictions | Change (apps targeting 15+) |
Updates to non-SDK interface restrictions Android 15 includes updated lists of restricted non-SDK interfaces based on collaboration with Android developers and the latest internal testing. |
| Performance and battery | New features and APIs |
ApplicationStartInfo API The ApplicationStartInfo API on Android 15 helps provide insight into app startup including startup state, time spent in launch phases, how your app was started when your Application class was instantiated, and more. |
| Performance and battery | New features and APIs |
Detailed app size information Android 15 adds the StorageStats.getAppBytesByDataType([type]) API, which lets you get insight into how your app is using up all that space, including APK file splits, AOT and speedup related code, dex metadata, libraries, and guided profiles. |
| Performance and battery | New features and APIs |
SQLite database improvements Android 15 introduces new SQLite APIs that expose advanced features from the underlying SQLite engine that target specific performance issues that can manifest in apps. |
| Performance and battery | New features and APIs |
Android Dynamic Performance Framework updates Android 15 continues our investment in the Android Dynamic Performance Framework (ADPF), a set of APIs that allow games and performance intensive apps to interact more directly with power and thermal systems of Android devices. |
| Privacy | New features and APIs |
Screen recording detection Android 15 adds support for apps to detect that they are being recorded. |
| Privacy | New features and APIs |
Expanded IntentFilter capabilities Android 15 builds in support for more precise Intent resolution through UriRelativeFilterGroup, which contains a set of UriRelativeFilter objects that form a set of Intent matching rules that must each be satisfied, including URL query parameters, URL fragments, and blocking or exclusion rules. |
| Privacy | New features and APIs |
Privacy Sandbox on Android Android 15 brings Android AD Services up to extension level 10, incorporating the latest version of the Privacy Sandbox on Android, part of our work to develop new technologies that improve user privacy and enable effective, personalized advertising experiences for mobile apps. |
| Privacy | New features and APIs |
Health Connect Android 15 integrates Android 14 extensions 10 around Health Connect by Android, a secure and centralized platform to manage and share app-collected health and fitness data. This update adds support for new data types across fitness, nutrition, and more. |
| Privacy | New features and APIs |
Partial screen sharing Android 15 supports partial screen sharing so users can share or record just an app window rather than the entire device screen. This feature, first enabled in Android 14 QPR2, includes MediaProjection callbacks that allow your app to customize the partial screen sharing experience. |
| Security | New features and APIs |
Protect files using fs-verity Android 15's FileIntegrityManager includes new APIs that tap into the power of the fs-verity feature in the Linux kernel. |
| User experience | Change (apps targeting 15+) |
elegantTextHeight attribute defaults to true For apps targeting Android 15, the elegantTextHeight TextView attribute becomes true by default, replacing the compact font used by default with some scripts that have large vertical metrics with one that is much more readable. |
| User Experience | New features and APIs |
Improved Do Not Disturb rulesAutomaticZenRule lets apps customize Attention Management (Do Not Disturb) rules and decide when to activate or deactivate them. Android 15 greatly enhances these rules with the goal of improving the user experience. |