Android 15made its first appearance back in February, but from a user perspective, it wasn’t much different from Android 14. Now that Google has released Developer Preview 2, we’re starting to get a better sense of what the next major release will actually change when it hits this summer. Meanwhile, certain Samsung users might get the update even faster than usual thanks to a new-old feature, and other major players, like Apple, Epic, andYouTube, made headlines in this week’s biggest Android news.
Catch up on last week’s biggest Android headlines here
Google sets a date, feds flex, and WhatsApp goes pin-crazy in this week’s news
Android 15 starts showing its true colors
On Thursday,Google released Android 15 DP2, which is expected to be the last developer-focused build before the new OS heads into open beta in April, and it shows with the new user-focused changes that have already been spotted.
Right off the bat, we noticed that it included a handy new shortcut for foldables that will allow you to easilycontinue using an app on the cover screen. Other quality of life improvements we reported on wereimproved camera qualitywhen using a Pixel as a webcam, a dose of newapp drawer settings for the Pixel Launcher, and the ability toshare Bluetooth audio with friends.
But Android 15 isn’t all fun and games — some serious improvements have been made on the security side of things as well. For instance, the system will nowauthenticate you when changing USB modesto better protect your files when connected to an external device. And on a somewhat sadder (but justified) note,apps that target Android 6.0 Marshmallowcan no longer be installed, effectively ending the era of install-time permissions.
Android 15 is pulling the plug on apps built for Android Marshmallow
Apps must target Android Nougat at a minimum
Apple’s in hot water
Apple has found itself under serious regulatory pressure this week, as the US Justice Departmentfiled a monopoly suit against the companyfor the tactics it has employed to keep iPhone users from jumping ship to Android and other ecosystems. Some of the complaints in the suit include the Apple Watch only working with iPhones, and the fact that, aside from an EU-specific build, iOS does not allow third-party payment apps to utilize the iPhone’s secure NFC chip for tap to pay.
But for those of us on Android, the complaint poised to make perhaps the biggest shakeup centers around Apple’s iMessage exclusivity — something that made headlines a couple of months back when Apple quickly laid down the banhammer on Beeper’s workaround that brought blue bubbles to Android. Beeper’s CEO, Eric Migicovsky, had some choice words for Apple back then, and in an interview with our Will Sattelberg after news of the lawsuit broke,Migicovsky echoed some of those sentimentsand got a chance to expand on his thoughts on why iMessage is more about ecosystem lock-in than communication for Apple.
The case against Apple’s monopoly, explained by Beeper’s CEO
Eric Migicovsky shares his thoughts on iMessage lock-in, how Apple affects the world of startups, and more
YouTube takes a stance on AI
Like any other Google product, we’ve seen YouTube add several features that rely on AI in recent months. But this week, it took a clear stanceagainstAI-generated content — at least, the type of content that could be misleading. Now, creators arerequired to disclose when their videos use generative AIin a way that alters content — for instance, deepfakes or AI-generated depictions of events that did not occur. There are some exceptions, but it seems to be a reasonable policy overall.
YouTube will clearly label certain AI-generated content
Creators are now required to disclose their generative AI usage when it might be misleading
Samsung goes seamless
In a week where we learned thatthe next Galaxy foldable might be cheaperthan any of us thought and that theGalaxy S25 could be larger than life, it was a lower-profile midrange device that caught our eye more than anything else out of Samsung’s camp.
After eight years of bucking the trend, it appears thatSamsung has finally caved and added seamless update supportto the Galaxy A55. We reached out to Samsung US to see if this might come to older devices or potentially upcoming ones, but the comment we were given only reminded us thatthe Galaxy A55 will not be sold in the US. Still, one can dream, right?
It only took Samsung 8 years to add this handy Android feature
Samsung appears to have added support for seamless updates on the Galaxy A55
Epic Games Store
Way before the US decided suing Apple was cool, the EU laid down the law ongatekeeperslike the iPhone maker and Google with its DMA. As the act becomes law this month, we’re starting to see ripple effects, like Google shiftingsome of its Android policiesand Apple making anEU-only build of iOS, complete with extra sideloading options and the ability to make more third-party apps the defaults for performing some tasks.
Now that Apple has opened the door for third-party app stores on its mobile OS, the company that was largely responsible for bringing issues like those addressed in the DMA to the fore is launching its own app store for games.The Epic Games Store is expected to be availablefor both Android and iOS by the end of 2024, and it’s expected to host more than just Epic’s first-party titles like Fortnite.
The Epic Games Store is coming to Android by the end of the year
It will have the same revenue-sharing split as its Mac and Windows counterpart
