Android 15 is out — but it’s not ready for your phone yet

Google has officially released Android 15, but for now, it’s primarily available for developers. The source code is up on the Android Open Source Project, with support for Pixel phones expected in the coming weeks. If you own a device from Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, Nothing, or other brands, you’ll need to wait a bit longer, as Google mentions that Android 15 will reach these devices within the “coming months.”

Unlike Apple’s iOS updates, which usually introduce significant changes directly tied to the new version, Google’s Android updates often focus on refining the underlying connections between apps and devices. As Android 15 rolls out more broadly, users can look forward to features like single-tap passkeys, theft detection, enhanced multitasking for larger screens, and more granular app access control.

One of the standout features in this release is an update to Android’s screen reader, TalkBack. This utility now integrates with Google’s Gemini AI assistant to provide audio descriptions for images you view on your phone, offering improved accessibility.

Shazam-Like Music Identification and Expanded Earthquake Alerts

Google is also enhancing its Circle to Search feature with a new Shazam-like capability to identify songs. After several weeks of testing, users can now tap a music button to quickly find out the name, artist, and YouTube video associated with a song—whether it’s playing from a video you’re watching or over the supermarket’s speakers.

Additionally, earthquake alerts are being expanded across the entire U.S. and six territories. Previously limited to California, Oregon, and Washington through the US Geological Survey’s ShakeAlert system, these alerts can now be triggered based on data from Android device accelerometers. When multiple devices in an area detect vibrations, Android Earthquake Alerts analyze this crowdsourced data to determine if an earthquake is occurring, offering timely warnings.

Other features coming to Android 15 include a text-to-speech option in Chrome for reading webpages aloud and offline Google Maps support in Wear OS 5.