Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Android 15 is now rolling out to Pixel devices, bringing them new privacy features, security tools, and improvements for foldables and tablets. The operating system first launched last month through the Android Open Source Project, but at the time, it wasn't yet available on Pixel phones and tablets - or other major Android devices. Google announced today that it's finally coming to Pixels alongside a series of Pixel feature drops.One major new feature in Android 15 is the ability to make a private space" for apps you might want to keep hidden from other people who get ahold of your phone. (Google gives the examples of social, dating, or banking apps.) Apps you put in the private space won't show up in your recent apps, notifications,... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge For the last decade or so, Google has released major Android updates in the fall after an extended developer and beta preview process, but for 2025, at least, that's changing. Now, Google is planning its next major release for Q2 instead of Q3, confirming a recent report from Android Authority about Android 16, which will carry the dessert-themed codename Baklava."The announcement says this will better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner." Other changes Google is talking about today include improvements to the Play Store, where users can share preferences for better recommendations on new apps the way they already could for games, and in... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google has given us a glimpse at what's coming in the next major version of Android. The first preview release for Android 16 is available for developers starting today, which expands the photo library and medical data-sharing capabilities in apps. A change moving Android's release timeline forward was announced last month, which could help third-party Android phones released in 2025 avoid waiting months to receive the latest major updates.Android Developer head Matthew McCullough says, This is the start of Android having more frequent API releases as part of our effort to drive faster innovation in apps and devices."The preview available today allows developers to embed Android's photo picker - the menu that lets users select... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Transferring your data from your old Android device to a new one will soon be less daunting, thanks to Restore Credentials," a new developer feature for Android which can keep you logged into your apps when you make the switch. While some apps already did this, Google is making it easier for developers to include this experience by implementing a restore key" that automatically transfers to the new phone and logs you back into the app.The change should help make going from one Android phone to another more like upgrading an iPhone. Apple users who move from one iPhone to another are used to having everything from email accounts to app credentials transfer to the new phone, but it hasn't always been so seamless for Android users.Verge... Continue reading...

Gemini could spring into action soon. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google released the first Android 16 developer preview earlier this week and keen-eyed observers are already uncovering interesting tidbits, including one that hints about a much more useful future for Google's AI assistant. In Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman writes about a mysterious new API in Android 16 called app functions," which appears to give Gemini Assistant agentic-like abilities to take action in apps. It sounds awfully similar to the upgraded app intents" Apple supports in iOS 18, and it's exactly the kind of thing that could make AI assistants much more useful than they are in their current state.A page on Google's developer site describes an app function as a specific piece of functionality that an app offers to the... Continue reading...