New features of Android 15 such as 'enhanced Japanese display function' and 'storing apps in hidden space' are announced, and a remote lock function that can be used with existing Android is also available
Google released Android 15 Beta 2 on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The beta version of Android 15 adds new features such as 'improved Japanese display function,' 'addition of private space,' and 'improved support for AV1.' In addition, anti-theft features available on existing Android devices have also been announced.
Android Developers Blog: The Second Beta of Android 15
Google Online Security Blog: I/O 2024: What's new in Android security and privacy
https://security.googleblog.com/2024/05/io-2024-whats-new-in-android-security.html
How Android theft protection keeps your devices and data safe
https://blog.google/products/android/android-theft-protection/
◆New features added in Android 15 Beta 2
The developer preview version of Android 15 was released on Friday, February 16, 2024, and the first beta version was released on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The main features added in the newly released Beta 2 are as follows:
・Standard Japanese fonts are now variable fonts
Android comes with NotoSansCJK as the standard font for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. NotoSansCJK now supports variable fonts , allowing you to freely adjust the thickness and width of the characters.
- Supports Japanese variant kana
Android 15 will come with a Japanese variant kana font as standard.
- 'Private Space' to hide apps you are using
Android 15 adds an area called 'Private Space' to the app drawer. The private space can be locked and unlocked separately from the device lock, and notifications and history of apps in the private space are hidden when the device is locked. In addition, the user's account and downloaded content are managed separately in the private space and the main space.
- Improved AV1 support
The AV1 decoder '
・Modernizing GPU access
Android 15 will use the graphics layer engine ' ANGLE ' as a layer for running OpenGL ES. This will standardize OpenGL implementation on Android, improving compatibility and in some cases performance.
- Efforts to make 16KB page size mandatory
In response to the increase in memory capacity of Android devices, Android 15 will add a test function in an environment with a page size of 16 KB. It seems that already on devices with a page size of 16 KB, the following benefits have been confirmed: 'App startup time is 3.16% faster on average,' 'Power consumption during app startup is reduced by 4.56% on average,' 'Camera startup time is 4.48% faster on average for hot starts and 6.6% faster on average for cold starts,' and 'System startup time is 0.8 seconds faster on average.'
-Addition of security features
New security features will be added, such as 'hide notifications including one-time passwords,' 'hide notifications while sharing your screen,' and 'hide the screen when you try to enter a password or credit card number while sharing your screen.'
・Addition of testable devices
The first beta version of Android 15 was only compatible with the Pixel series, but Beta 2 can now be tested on devices from manufacturers other than the Pixel series, including Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, Nothing, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Sharp, Tecno, vivo, and Xiaomi.
The stable version of Android 15 is scheduled to be released in June 2024, with the official version to be released a few months later.
◆Anti-theft features that can be used on existing Android devices
On Android, if your smartphone is stolen, you can use ' Find My Device ' to remotely lock your smartphone. However, to use the 'Find My Device' lock function, you need to remember the email address and password of your Google account. For this reason, many users found themselves in a situation where they couldn't lock their device because they didn't know their password.
It has been announced that a new remote locking feature for Android 10 and later, 'Remote Lock,' will be released in the second half of 2024. With Remote Lock, you can lock your device simply by entering your phone number and answering a 'simple security challenge.'
Other anti-theft features announced include:
- Require authentication with your Google account when resetting to factory settings
- Require authentication when disabling Find My Device
- Require biometric authentication for changing PIN codes in untrusted locations
・AI detects 'device robbery attempts' and automatically locks the screen
- Automatically locks the screen when suspicious behavior such as 'repeated authentication failures' is detected
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