A release date for the first Android 15 Developer Preview may have accidentally been revealed by a Google engineer.
The comment was spotted by 9to5Google on an Android Open Source Project comment page, with the commenter stating, “Maybe makes sense to wait until Android V will be available? Its first developer preview is scheduled for Feb 15." Google's internal codename for Android 15 is believed to be "Vanilla Ice Cream", continuing Android's dessert naming trend, so it would make sense that "Android V" refers to the next Android version.
We have included a screenshot of the comment above, but at the time of writing the original comment thread is still available.
While we did expect this release to be at some point this month, as the first Android 14 preview went out on February 8 last year, we didn’t have an exact date.
Currently, we don't know a huge amount about Android 15, but there are some rumors. One is that it will debut improved accessibility functions that will reportedly make the OS much easier for the visually impaired or elderly to use, while another is that the update will bring back lock screen widgets. There are also indications that Android 15 could force apps to work in edge-to-edge mode to get the most out of the screen area.
Android 15 will likely be available on every Google phone and Tablet from the Pixel 6 onward. While there may have been some hope that the installation would come to the Pixel 5a it seems unlikely as that phone was only guaranteed updates through to August 2024.
While we do not have any solid confirmation on a release date for the final stable version of Android 15, it will likely be officially announced this summer at Google I/O 2024, and go live alongside the launch of the Google Pixel 9 series this fall.
