Mishaal's Android News Feed
Android 15 Developer Preview 2 is OFFICIAL! Google has just announced the release on the Android Developers blog. Here’s what Google says is new in Android 15 DP2: - Android 15 DP2 adds some UI elements to ensure a “consistent user experience” for devices…
- Android 15 is updating the NFC stack to add a new “observe mode.” Observe mode lets devices listen but not respond to NFC readers. On supported devices, apps can request the NfcAdapter to enter observe mode so they then get PollingFrame objects to process. Apps can read PollingFrame objects to auth ahead of the first communication to the NFC reader, which allows for a one tap transaction to be made.
- Android 15 gives apps control over the HDR headroom with the Window#setDesiredHdrHeadroom. This lets apps decide how to strike a balance between SDR and HDR content. This is useful for when a mix of SDR and HDR content is shown on screen, as letting the OS decide can end up adversely influencing the perceived brightness of the SDR content.
- Android 15 supports the CTA-2075 standard which helps users avoid audio loudness inconsistencies and ensure they don’t have to constantly adjust volume when switching content. The system uses known characteristics of output devices and the loudness metadata available in AAC audio content to intelligently adjust audio loudness and dynamic range compression levels. Devs need to ensure loudness metadata is available in their AAC content and also enable the platform feature in their app.
- Android 15 expands the AutomaticZenRules API which lets apps customize Do Not Disturb rules and decide when to toggle them. The new version lets apps add types, an icon, a triggerDenoscription string, and ZenDeviceEffects that enable rules to trigger on things like grayscale display, night mode, or wallpaper dimming.
- Android 15 adds granular line break controls to TextView so apps can preserve a given portion of text in the same line to improve readability. Devs can take advantage of this by using the <nobreak> tag in string resources or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoBreakSpan(). It’s also possible to preserve words from being hyphenated by using the <nohyphen> or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoHyphenationSpan().
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- Android 15 gives apps control over the HDR headroom with the Window#setDesiredHdrHeadroom. This lets apps decide how to strike a balance between SDR and HDR content. This is useful for when a mix of SDR and HDR content is shown on screen, as letting the OS decide can end up adversely influencing the perceived brightness of the SDR content.
- Android 15 supports the CTA-2075 standard which helps users avoid audio loudness inconsistencies and ensure they don’t have to constantly adjust volume when switching content. The system uses known characteristics of output devices and the loudness metadata available in AAC audio content to intelligently adjust audio loudness and dynamic range compression levels. Devs need to ensure loudness metadata is available in their AAC content and also enable the platform feature in their app.
- Android 15 expands the AutomaticZenRules API which lets apps customize Do Not Disturb rules and decide when to toggle them. The new version lets apps add types, an icon, a triggerDenoscription string, and ZenDeviceEffects that enable rules to trigger on things like grayscale display, night mode, or wallpaper dimming.
- Android 15 adds granular line break controls to TextView so apps can preserve a given portion of text in the same line to improve readability. Devs can take advantage of this by using the <nobreak> tag in string resources or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoBreakSpan(). It’s also possible to preserve words from being hyphenated by using the <nohyphen> or by using LineBreakConfigSpan#createNoHyphenationSpan().
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
- Android 15 is updating the NFC stack to add a new “observe mode.” Observe mode lets devices listen but not respond to NFC readers. On supported devices, apps can request the NfcAdapter to enter observe mode so they then get PollingFrame objects to process.…
Android 15 also:
* Helps apps keep up with the dynamic demands of web-hosted deep links by building in support for more precise Intent resolution
* Adds additional controls to improve the on-device multi-language audio recognition that was introduced in Android 14
* Introduces a new ApplicationStartInfoAPI that gives apps more info on how they were launched;
* Expands OpenJDK API support
* Improves PackageManager’s Stopped State to remove PendingIntents from apps
* Offers a new StorageStats.getAppBytesByDataType(...) API that provides more insight into how much space an app is taking up
* Brings a new mediaProcessing Foreground Service type to help apps migrate away from the dataSync Foreground Service type
* Adds new SQLite APIs that expose advanced features from the underlying SQLite engine that target specific performance issues that can manifest in apps
* Deprecates the Virtualizer class in favor of AudioAttributes.Builder.setSpatializerBehavior
* Enables the elegantTextHeight TextView attribute by default, replacing the compact font used by default with some noscripts that have large vertical metrics with one that’s more readable. The compact font still exists but may not be supported in the future.
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* Helps apps keep up with the dynamic demands of web-hosted deep links by building in support for more precise Intent resolution
* Adds additional controls to improve the on-device multi-language audio recognition that was introduced in Android 14
* Introduces a new ApplicationStartInfoAPI that gives apps more info on how they were launched;
* Expands OpenJDK API support
* Improves PackageManager’s Stopped State to remove PendingIntents from apps
* Offers a new StorageStats.getAppBytesByDataType(...) API that provides more insight into how much space an app is taking up
* Brings a new mediaProcessing Foreground Service type to help apps migrate away from the dataSync Foreground Service type
* Adds new SQLite APIs that expose advanced features from the underlying SQLite engine that target specific performance issues that can manifest in apps
* Deprecates the Virtualizer class in favor of AudioAttributes.Builder.setSpatializerBehavior
* Enables the elegantTextHeight TextView attribute by default, replacing the compact font used by default with some noscripts that have large vertical metrics with one that’s more readable. The compact font still exists but may not be supported in the future.
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Want to try out Android 15 Developer Preview 2? If you aren’t an app developer: don’t. If you are, then here’s what you should know:
- Builds are only available for the Pixel 6, 7, or 8 series devices as well as for the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
- Once you’ve manually installed a build, you’ll automatically get future Android 15 updates over-the-air.
- You can only manually install these builds by flashing a factory image. Google is not providing full OTA images due to a bug that can happen when sideloading the build that causes the device to show a “device is corrupted” message.
- Flashing a factory image requires unlocking the bootloader of your device, which causes a factory reset.
- If you don’t have a supported Pixel device, you can also try Android 15 DP2 with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
- Builds are only available for the Pixel 6, 7, or 8 series devices as well as for the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold.
- Once you’ve manually installed a build, you’ll automatically get future Android 15 updates over-the-air.
- You can only manually install these builds by flashing a factory image. Google is not providing full OTA images due to a bug that can happen when sideloading the build that causes the device to show a “device is corrupted” message.
- Flashing a factory image requires unlocking the bootloader of your device, which causes a factory reset.
- If you don’t have a supported Pixel device, you can also try Android 15 DP2 with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
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Here are the issues that Google resolved in Android 15 Developer Preview 2, as well as all the remaining issues that Google knows about in DP2.
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The Pixel Launcher in Android 15 DP2 now has an "apps list settings" page that contains the "swipe up to start search" settings toggle. (Eventually, this page may contain a new "show long app names" setting that lets you toggle whether to "display long app names on two lines in search results and apps list."
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FINALLY! Google has heard my complaints: They're adding a "High Quality Mode" to Android's USB webcam feature. Now my $1,000 Pixel 8 Pro won't look like a cheap webcam anymore!
More details plus a demo of this feature are available on this Android Authority article.
More details plus a demo of this feature are available on this Android Authority article.
Android Authority
Android 15 is fixing one of the worst parts of the Pixel's webcam feature
Android's USB webcam feature is convenient, but the video quality is mediocre. Google is finally fixing that with a High Quality Mode option.
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Under Settings > Connected devices in Android 15 Developer Preview 2, there's a new "audio sharing" settings page. As I previously reported, Android 15 will make it easier for users to start and join Auracast, ie. Bluetooth LE Audio broadcasting, sessions.
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Android 15 DP2 adds the "satellite messaging" page that I first reported was coming.
You can now publicly access it by invoking the
You can now publicly access it by invoking the
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Android 15 DP2 adds a whole bunch of new PackageManager/installer APIs related to supporting the new built-in app archiving feature I first reported is coming to Android 15.
If you develop a third-party launcher app, you may want to look at these new APIs.
If you develop a third-party launcher app, you may want to look at these new APIs.
Android Authority
Android 15 could add built-in support for app archiving
Google Play has an app archiving feature that lets you uninstall apps without deleting their data, and it's coming natively to Android 15.
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Mishaal's Android News Feed
Android 15 DP2 adds a whole bunch of new PackageManager/installer APIs related to supporting the new built-in app archiving feature I first reported is coming to Android 15. If you develop a third-party launcher app, you may want to look at these new APIs.
I first reported that Android 15 will add built-in app archiving, and that feature has now gone live in DP2!
You can learn more about how this feature works by reading this article.
You can learn more about how this feature works by reading this article.
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Android 15 DP2 on the Pixel Fold has added the "swipe up to continue" screen lock feature I first reported was coming! This feature is ripped right from the OnePlus Open, and it lets you choose which apps to continue on the outer screen.
More details are available in this Android Police article.
More details are available in this Android Police article.
Android Police
The Pixel Fold on Android 15 DP2 borrows a screen lock trick from the OnePlus Open
The Pixel Fold on Android 15 DP2 now lets you swipe up to continue using an app on the outer screen
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Android 15 DP2 adds a new "slow keys" accessibility feature for physical keyboards. It also adds the new "bounce keys" and "sticky keys", as well as previews for the keyboard layout, that I previously spotted.
More details on these changes can be found in this article.
More details on these changes can be found in this article.
Android Authority
Android 15 makes physical keyboards easier to use
Android 15 adds new accessibility features that make it easier to use physical keyboards with your phone or tablet.
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Android 15 DP2 finally adds the "taskbar pinning" feature I first spotted back in Android 14 Beta 3!
This feature lets Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet users revert back to the old, persistent taskbar style introduced in Android 12L.
More details can be found in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
This feature lets Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet users revert back to the old, persistent taskbar style introduced in Android 12L.
More details can be found in this article I wrote for Android Authority.
Android Authority
Android 15 DP2 lets you bring back the old taskbar on your Pixel Tablet or Pixel Fold
In the latest Android 15 preview, it’s now possible to switch back to the old persistent taskbar style from Android 12L.
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What new features and changes might we see in Android 15?
I did a presentation this week at the bi-monthly AOSP and AAOS meetup that goes over a lot of the hidden and under-the-hood platform changes and features that are coming to Android 15.
Note: This talk was recorded BEFORE Google released Android 15 DP2, so some info is outdated. DP2 includes the PDFViewer, CrashRecovery module, Auracast settings, taskbar pinning, app archiving, swipe up to continue, and UVC webcam update I mentioned in the talk.
I did a presentation this week at the bi-monthly AOSP and AAOS meetup that goes over a lot of the hidden and under-the-hood platform changes and features that are coming to Android 15.
Note: This talk was recorded BEFORE Google released Android 15 DP2, so some info is outdated. DP2 includes the PDFViewer, CrashRecovery module, Auracast settings, taskbar pinning, app archiving, swipe up to continue, and UVC webcam update I mentioned in the talk.
YouTube
What to expect in Android 15
Android 15 is coming this year. What new platform features will be added in the latest version of the Android OS?
In this talk, you'll hear an overview of all the hidden and under-the-hood platform changes and features that are coming to Android 15 and beyond.…
In this talk, you'll hear an overview of all the hidden and under-the-hood platform changes and features that are coming to Android 15 and beyond.…
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At IETF 119, a SWE from Google shared an overview of the current Internet draft for Detecting Unwanted Location Tracker (DULT), which details how tracker tags like AirTags can be detected.
The presentation reiterates that Android and iOS are referring to v01 of the draft — released on December 20, 2023 — for implementing initial support of DULT.
As a reminder, Google says they are waiting on Apple to roll out unwanted tracker alert detection in iOS before they launch the Find My Device network.
(Sidenote, it's amusing that Android can better detect AirTags than iOS can. Apparently, iOS doesn't support actively scanning for nearby AirTags, only passively scanning for them?)
Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers presentation at IETF 119 |
Unwanted Tracking Scenarios and Implications for DULT Protocol Design at IETF 119
For more info on the status of Google's Find My Device network, read this article I recently wrote for Android Police.
The presentation reiterates that Android and iOS are referring to v01 of the draft — released on December 20, 2023 — for implementing initial support of DULT.
As a reminder, Google says they are waiting on Apple to roll out unwanted tracker alert detection in iOS before they launch the Find My Device network.
(Sidenote, it's amusing that Android can better detect AirTags than iOS can. Apparently, iOS doesn't support actively scanning for nearby AirTags, only passively scanning for them?)
Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers presentation at IETF 119 |
Unwanted Tracking Scenarios and Implications for DULT Protocol Design at IETF 119
For more info on the status of Google's Find My Device network, read this article I recently wrote for Android Police.
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