In a nutshell: The second beta of Android 15 is here, bringing along a handful of useful features to enhance the operating system’s security. Google now allows Android users to have a tighter grip over their phones thanks in part to a new trick that could become a nightmare for a grab-and-run thieves.
Dubbed “Theft Detection Lock,” this new safeguard uses motion sensors to recognize the telltale jerks and tugs of someone snatching your device out of your hands or off a table. When it detects those movements, it automatically activates a lock screen to block access.
In the event you and your phone are separated smoothly, Google is giving you remote lockdown powers through a web portal at android.com/lock. Just enter your number, verify your identity through a security challenge, and you can remotely lock the handset.
These anti-theft features are coming to phones running Android 10 or newer through an upcoming Google Play Services update, expanding the security coverage for older models.
Another noteworthy addition is “Private Space,” a segregated section of your app drawer for sensitive content. Perhaps there are finance apps you don’t want prying eyes to see, or dating apps best kept private. Just place them in this secure vault, and they’ll require authentication for access.
Apps inside Private Space are fenced off from the rest of the OS with a separate data locker too, so your regular apps can’t see what’s inside. And if you lock Private Space, Google pauses those apps entirely so they can’t leak info via notifications or background activity.
Android 15 is also bringing an always-on taskbar to tablets and foldables for quickly switching between recent and pinned apps. You’ll also be able to save split-screen combinations as taskbar shortcuts, which should be a boon for power users who love juggling apps side-by-side.
There’s a codec shakeup, too. Many modern chips can hardware-decode AV1 video, the super-efficient successor to VP9 that Google’s been promoting. But for older silicon, the Android 15 beta includes a new software AV1 decoder built by the open-source media mavens behind VLC. So pretty much every Android gadget should support AV1 playback going forward.
As for some under-the-hood upgrades, Android 15 is finally enabling the Predictive Back gesture system wide after it debuted as a hidden developer option in Android 13. When you swipe to go back, you’ll get a peek at the screen waiting behind the current one so you can abort if it’s not where you want to go.
Android has evolved into what tech enthusiasts like to call a “mature” operating system, and there are only so many groundbreaking enhancements Google can make. So it’s no surprise that the latest iteration of the OS was pushed to the second day of I/O, with generative AI goodies occupying most of the first. Of course, we’ll have to wait for the full release, likely this fall, to see Google’s entire hand.
