What you need to know
- Google's Android 15 space-themed easter egg comes has another side as users can set it as a screen saver.
- The screen saver will automatically play the "Landroid" easter egg on the Pixel Tablet and Pixel phones.
- Android 15 Beta 4 pushes Google ever closer to a full release, which speculation states could occur alongside the Pixel 9's launch.
Google typically has a little fun with its major OS releases, and Android 15 is no different as we get our hands on a space theme.
For Android 15, Google's little "Bugdroid" (Android's mascot) flies through space before landing on a planet (Earth) and planting a cute yellow flag. Not only does this year's OS easter egg expand on what we've seen with Android 14, but 9to5Google found another side to this year's quirky addition.
After viewing the easter egg for the first time, Google turns the quick video into a usable screen saver for Android devices. Enrolled testers will find the screen saver called "Landroid" with "AUTOPILOT ENGAGED" as its brief description.
All of this is said to play automatically after enabling, meaning users can watch Android's mascot soar over the stars and mark its presence with a flag. Those with a Pixel Tablet or Pixel Tablet 2 can find it by hopping into Settings > Hub Mode > Screen Saver. After selecting, Landroid will play whenever your device is "locked or docked."
Google's line of eligible Pixel phones can see this, too. Those users can enter their Settings > Display & Touch > Screen Saver to find Landroid after viewing the easter egg. The publication states this can be done by heading into your Settings in Android 15 Beta 4.
After that, head into About Phone and tap "Android Version" three times to produce the Android 15 logo, which you should long-press until the game activates.
Android 15 is fun, but did you find the *new* Easter egg?After accessing Landroid, you'll find... A new Landroid screen saver 👀 pic.twitter.com/okt9FZDnSGJuly 19, 2024
Google started rolling Android 15 Beta 4 out to enrolled testers last week, which brought a few small changes and additions to the OS. One of the biggest highlights of the update is the company's shift from PNGs to vector emojis. In short, this will enable users to enjoy and experience their emojis in a larger form factor without sacrificing quality. Private Spaces were another aspect of the latest beta release.
Discoveries in the code also pointed toward more information about Pixel's "Satellite SOS." While more details about its function were found, it seems Google could charge users for those services if they want to keep it.
With Beta 4, we're moving ever closer to a full release of Android 15. As developers continue to prepare their apps for the next major shift in software, there's speculation that we could see it arrive alongside the Pixel 9 series in August.