I’ll discuss this in a future story, but in a nutshell, I started noticing some slowdowns in my iPhone 13, which is only three years old at this point, which made me question how would an Android phone hold up when it’s six years old, and it has to run new, demanding features on top of old ones?
Aside from that, Samsung launched the Galaxy A16 with the crazy promise for “6 years of OS updates” – and that’s a budget phone, which shows lag pretty much when you take it out of the box.And now comes the most recent reason I’m starting to ask myself whether software updates matter as much as we thought they do – Android 15…
Android 15 update on my Pixel – does it take away more than it gives?
However, I can’t help but notice that after booting up my Pixel on Android 15, I haven’t really noticed anything new in the look and feel of the phone. It looks and feels pretty much the same as Android 14, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it begs the question… was this update even necessary? At least in this version.
That being said, there are some new/updated features here and there, and it would be unfair if I didn’t mention them. So here’s a quick breakdown:
New Android 15 features according to Google
- Sensitive notifications: Prevents malicious apps from reading one-time passwords (OTPs) – OK, I guess…
- Predictive back: Lets you preview the results of a gesture navigation before committing to them – how is that even mentioned as a new “feature”?
- Virtual MIDI 2.0 devices: Allows composition apps to control synthesizer apps as a virtual MIDI 2.0 device – nice, if you care (you probably don’t)
- Better screen recorder: Includes partial screen recording
- Satellite connectivity: Allows you to send and receive messages without cell service
- In-app camera controls: Includes more controls for the camera
- Low-light boost: Improves the camera’s performance in low light – allegedly
- Bluetooth pop-up dialogue: A new Quick Settings tile that makes it easier to manage Bluetooth connections – whatever…
- Theft protection features: Helps keep your sensitive information protected from theft and fraud
- Private space for sensitive apps: Allows you to create a private space for sensitive apps – sounds useful
- Multitasking capabilities: Pin and unpin taskbar – I was already doing that on Android 14?!
- Redesigned settings app: Includes a new Home Control Screensaver and Widget Button
As you can see, Google has gone out of its way to mention “features” like “previewing the app screen when pressing the back button”, and a “new Bluetooth tile”.
Overall, I find Android 15 to be almost a total waste of an upgrade, with 2-3 notable new features that are worth mentioning. It’s more of an Android 14S update, which could’ve easily been called a Feature Drop.
My $1,800 Pixel 9 Pro Fold effectively gets only 5 major OS updates instead of the promised 7 – here’s how Google made it happen
In other words, my Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and other phones with a promise of 7 OS upgrades (Galaxy S24, Pixel 9) are now effectively getting 6 instead of 7 major updates – because I don’t see how Android 15 can be called a “major update” when it has brought less changes to my Pixel than Google’s frequent Feature Drops.
But that’s not all – I also haven’t forgotten that the Pixel 9 series (including my $1,800 Pixel 9 Pro Fold) launched with Android 14 right before Android 15 came out. This Google move (effectively) kills off one more major update, leaving Pixel 9 users with 5 instead of 7 OS updates. For now.
Speaking of Feature Drops, I’ll give Google credit for gradually adding new regular/AI features to Android 14 through quarterly updates, but this doesn’t mean they should effectively waste Android 15 before quickly moving on to Android 16.
Let’s hope the useless Android 15 version will be the last of its kind
I hope this release schedule isn’t Google’s “new thing”, because if new Android versions (especially ones as “significant” as Android 15) start dropping every 6 months, this would effectively turn phones with “up to 7 years of OS updates” into phones with 3.5 years of updates.
That being said, I doubt that’s Google’s ultimate goal, and I hope the Android 14 – 15 -16 transition is the last of its kind, and future Android versions will be more… meaningful. To say the least.
And now… let the “what about iOS” comments begin! Wink, wink.