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Google typically releases a new major version of Android every year, but sometimes the updates make few substantive changes.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
Accelerating releases isn’t a bad thing, but it can make previous releases feel like unfinished work.
That’s what’s happening now with Android 14. Google is already working on Android 15, with the first Developer Preview (DP) expected to be released this week. However, Android 14 lacks stable operating system improvements and users are still plagued by various bugs, especially in cars.
Android 14 wreaked havoc on Android Auto, breaking important functionality and connectivity between the head unit and smartphone.
Android 15 is here
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
The first Android 15 Developer Preview is likely to ship tomorrow (February 15th), with Google developers confirming that date in a recent comment on the Android open source project discussion board.
The post does not reveal any additional details, but does reveal that “the first developer preview is scheduled for February 15th.”
However, the date is not surprising. Google usually ships the first DP build of a new Android release in the first half of February. With Android 14, the first developer preview was published on February 8th, so the company needed another week to complete work on the same build of Android 15.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
It’s worth knowing that February 15th is not the date when Android 15 will be available on supported devices. It’s the day Google begins public testing of its next Android release. More notably, Google has been working on Android 15 for several months, and this first developer preview is our first chance to get a glimpse of its feature lineup.
Android 15 DP builds are intended only for experienced users, especially developers, who can test pre-release software and provide feedback to Google. The search giant plans to use the reported bugs to further improve the operating system before starting public beta testing later this year. Android 15 is expected to reach production channels in the summer.
Google’s Pixel smartphones will be the first devices to receive DP builds, beta, and stable updates. Google has not officially announced release dates for each development channel for Android 15.
Android Auto issues caused by Android 14
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
With Android 15 already in the spotlight, some users are wondering if the bugs they’ve been struggling with with Android Auto will be fixed after installing Android 14.
The release of Android 14 was received with great excitement by the Android user base, primarily due to the improvements it brought to mobile devices. But with Android 14, Android Auto mysteriously broke down, causing connectivity issues, random disconnections, and broken apps.
The experience with Android 14 from an Android Auto perspective is mixed. While some users claimed that Android Auto was still working fine after updating to Android 14, others said the new operating system caused issues that prevented them from running Android Auto behind the wheel. . Most of these bugs remain unfixed, and while work on Android 15 is progressing, it’s unclear whether Google wants to resolve them in the Android 14 update. The company may wait until Android 15 to address the reported defects.
Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution
One of the most common Android Auto bugs reported after the Android 14 update is wireless connection drops. Some users claimed that they could no longer connect their mobile device to the infotainment system without a cable, even though everything was working fine before the update.
Other solutions did not restore wireless connectivity, so switching to Android Auto wired (if available) was the only workaround. Google confirmed that it is investigating the flaw, but a fix has not yet been released.
Spotify users also complained about Android Auto issues after installing Android 14 on their smartphones. This widespread issue has prevented Spotify from updating its Now Playing interface. The app successfully played the requested song in the background, but the screen providing track information or one-tap access to playback controls didn’t load.
Android 14 also introduced more discrete issues, including broken voice commands, random disconnections, and occasional lags while running Android Auto. Despite Google’s research, we have yet to find a fix for these issues.
Note that only some users encountered these issues with Android Auto and Android 14, but it’s still unclear who will be affected. No one could determine a pattern. Even Google couldn’t determine a pattern. Otherwise, Google would have released a fix that would improve the experience for everyone. This glitch appears to be caused by an incompatible combination of apps running on the mobile device when connected to Android 14, phone model, car model, head unit, and infotainment system. .
It’s impossible to tell what’s wrong without Google’s thorough research, so it won’t necessarily provide a perfect experience, but at least Android 15 will not introduce any new bugs to Android Auto users. took a lot of effort.
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