What’s the biggest complaint we all have about our smartphones? Not the fact that they track us everywhere or share all our data, but the fact that their batteries are often garbage.
Happy days – the new Android 15 can charge your phone’s battery for three hours.
Sorry, iPhone peeps, you may need to carry the charger around.
Google unveiled plenty of new tech at its annual I/O event last week, including news about Android 15, but this particular gem didn’t surface until later when Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke appeared on the Android Faithful podcast and spoke with co-host Mishall Rahman for Android Authority.
He revealed that the new software will switch to sleep mode about 50% faster than Android 14. Sleep mode reduces battery consumption by controlling the behavior of apps when the device is not in use for a long period of time, ensuring that they do not constantly snarl. .
Mr Burke revealed that in testing, the Google team saw an extra three hours of battery life with the latest tweaks – that’s basically an evening if your phone is prone to draining right after work.
Of course, many Android phones already offer much better battery life than their predecessors, and new software doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a full three hours of extra scrolling — especially right after an update, which can affect your battery for a day or two. However, it is a good sign that the whole system should be more efficient.
The most important question, of course, is when will it be available?
Google only released Android 14 in October, so it’s unlikely to arrive before this October, but if it sticks to the same schedule, it could arrive in the fall of 2024 and release alongside the alleged launch of the Google Pixel 9.
This year’s lineup could also include the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is expected to have a larger display and better battery performance than its siblings.
What else is coming in Android 15?
Android 15 users will be offered a completely separate private space for apps and data they don’t want displayed on their home screen, similar to Samsung’s Secure Folder.
This will allow people to hide sensitive apps and information – like photo albums or Chrome – in a separate section in the app drawer that will require additional authentication to open, such as a passcode or fingerprint. This means that even if family or friends get their hands on your phone, they still won’t be able to view certain content.
In terms of security, the AI ​​theft detection lock detects if your phone has been stolen at high speed and automatically locks the screen – meaning even if thieves get hold of your device, they won’t be able to get into it.
The same automatic lock is also triggered if too many incorrect authentication attempts are made.
Access keys will also be updated, with the account selection screen and confirmation screen now merged into one.
And one update could really make a splash – users will now be able to set custom vibrations for specific notification channels. This means that those of us who live with our phones in silence (i.e. most of us) can tell by the buzz in our pocket whether the latest notification is a WhatsApp, a text or an email.
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