Google has released the last scheduled Android 15 beta, which brings stable developer APIs and allows developers to update their apps and publish them on Google Play before non-beta users get access to the new Android version.
Today's beta release has everything you need to try out Android 15 features, test your apps, and give us feedback. [...] If you don’t have a supported device, you can use the 64-bit system images with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
Besides API stabilization, Android 15 introduces several behavior changes that should explicitly be tested for. These include changes to the "package stopped" state, support for 16 KB memory pages, and a new "private space" behavior.
The "package stopped" state, meant to stop apps until the user interacts with them either directly by launching them or indirectly through a widget, is now enforced more strictly. This implies that when an app enters the stopped state any pending intents are canceled, and the app's widgets are disabled by the system.
The adoption of 16 KB memory pages brings a few performance benefits, including lower app launch times while the system is under memory pressure, reduced power consumption during app launch, faster camera setup, and improved system boot time. This comes at the cost of a slightly higher memory usage. Most significantly for developers, all apps using native code through the Android NDK shall be rebuilt to be able to run on Android 15. Apps written entirely in Java or Kotlin are already compatible but should be tested anyway, says Google.
Private spaces are a new feature allowing users to create private spaces to protect sensitive information under an additional layer of authentication. When a user locks the private space, all apps in the private space are stopped, which means they cannot perform any foreground or background activities, including showing notifications. This affects all apps, but specifically medical and launcher apps, which require specific steps to ensure they deliver a satisfying user experience.
Android 15 also includes several new features, such as predictive back animations to help users understand what the outcome of a gesture will be and decide whether they want to carry it through; low light boost to improve camera recordings under low light conditions; partial screen sharing to share or record only an app window instead of the entire device display; edge-to-edge rendering, and more. The adoption of these new features is not strictly required.
To prepare your apps for Android 15, Google suggests updating to Android Studio Koala, which includes an Android SDK Upgrade Assistant to make it easier for developers to modify their apps so they will run correctly on the new release.