5 features I want Google to bring to Android 15

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Important points

Improved audio streaming with Auracast provides better audio quality and reduced latency.
Bluetooth quick settings. Easily manage your Bluetooth connections and pair new devices.
App Pair for Multitasking opens a specified pair of applications in split-screen mode, benefiting tablet owners and foldable device users.

For a decade and a half, Google has been making Android as beautiful and natural to use as possible. Since Android 13, the challenge has been to make the platform more useful year after year for the people who use it. Making small additions can be a lot of work, and you may not notice it the first time you hear it, but I hope you understand that these improvements can make it easier to see things you didn’t normally think about. It may be.

Android 15 rumors: Everything we know so far

After abandoning them years ago, Google is reportedly working on bringing back lock screen widgets in Android 15. Find out what else is coming.

We’ve got some hints about what Android 15 might bring later this year from people who know the code. But let’s move away from the command line and focus on a few changes that we think will make the biggest difference.

Hearing aids can utilize different Auracast streams that are broadcast to specific areas.

Auracast transmitters broadcast advertisements to users' host devices. The host device selects the stream, passes the access key to the connected audio accessory, and the accessory begins interacting with the actual content stream.

Improved audio streaming with Auracast

Auracast is a very appealing name for the amazing features enabled by the Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) Audio standard. If you have wireless headphones connected to your smartphone, you can use your smartphone to take advantage of local area broadcasts or streams and connect your headphones directly to the broadcast source. The stream doesn’t have to go through your phone, so you get higher quality audio and less latency than if it went through your phone.

You can also start your own Auracast stream and have all your friends hear the same beats.

The practical applications seem endless. Auracast streams can be set up for interpretive narration services at trade shows or live translation at performance venues. You can hear what’s playing on muted TVs in public places. Silent Disco has the bandwidth to offer more stations than your existing fixed channel headphone setup. Heck, you can just start his Auracast stream yourself and all your friends can tune in to the same beat at the campus cafe.

Auracast is the Bluetooth broadcasting feature you never knew you needed

The ability to broadcast and receive Bluetooth audio has been around for a while, but it’s finally starting to catch on.

Android has been working on support for Auracast in recent beta releases, and current speculation is that it will be officially supported in Android 15.

Speaking of Bluetooth…

Bluetooth quick settings please

Android 9 Marshmallow was an annoying update for those who wanted to toggle Bluetooth connectivity without dipping three menus deep into system settings, as the expandable Quick Settings tile no longer worked. In Android 12, Google has combined its Wi-Fi and Cellular Data tiles into one tile called “Internet” and brought back an expanded dialog box that lets users know which network they’re using. I made it possible to be aware of it.

Although it’s not back yet, Android 15 will turn your radio on and off, connect and disconnect from recognized devices, and pair with new devices.

In an age where you can listen to millions of hours of audio anywhere without having to connect a bunch of cables, managing Bluetooth devices shouldn’t be like the 110-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympics. If this works, Google is good.

Create an app pair

Android has had split-screen mode (officially “multi-window”) built into the platform since the days of 7.0 Nougat. Even before that, individual OEMs like Samsung and LG had implemented their own split screens. Samsung, in particular, had a feature nested within its Apps Edge suite that allowed users to create shortcuts to open specified pairs of applications in split-screen mode. When Android 15 arrives, more users may be able to take advantage of a potential feature called App Pairs.

Tablet owners will benefit the most, as productivity on a large screen requires quick switching between multiple windows. But even if we’re talking about mobile phones or foldable devices, they’re also the perfect surface for leveraging app pairs like YouTube and Discord, WhatsApp and Netflix, and other combinations that emphasize multimedia and interaction. there is.

Display notifications in landscape orientation

The Android 12L update brings a breath of fresh air to tablets with various interface design changes to match the big screen experience. One of them splits the notification shade into two columns, one for quick settings and one for the notification feed. It’s a good use of space and something Google should have included in landscape mode phones a long time ago.

The new design makes dealing with notifications less of a hassle while watching ESPN, Netflix, or YouTube in full screen.

Well, it looks like Android 15 will finally make that happen. Note that this change was spotted in the Android 14 QPR2 beta along with other changes, but it probably won’t actually make it to stable software until much later. Perhaps it will be the next major Android 14 quarterly update, or even Android 15.

In any case, dealing with notifications while watching ESPN, Netflix, or YouTube in full screen should be less of a hassle with the new design. You might also have a better time by propping up your phone on your bedside table and placing it there in landscape mode.

we cannot escape from them. I can’t wait to get my hands on them, to be honest. It’s very convenient to have more information visible, such as upcoming weather, stock prices, and commute times, without having to unlock your phone.

Personally, I tend to get distracted by other content on my phone once I cross the lock screen threshold, so I tend to jump into the screen for a few seconds to get the information I need, then put the phone in my pocket. Bringing it back really works for me. You can also save your brain by getting shortcuts that take you past the home screen and directly to the tasks you need to do.