Android 15 made its first look again in February, however from a consumer perspective, it wasn’t a lot totally different from Android 14. Now that Google has launched Developer Preview 2, we’re beginning to get a greater sense of what the following main launch will truly change when it hits this summer season. In the meantime, sure Samsung customers may get the replace even quicker than normal due to a new-old characteristic, and different main gamers, like Apple, Epic, and YouTube, made headlines on this week’s greatest Android information.
Make amends for final week’s greatest Android headlines right here
Google units a date, feds flex, and WhatsApp goes pin-crazy on this week’s information
Android 15 begins exhibiting its true colours
On Thursday, Google launched Android 15 DP2, which is predicted to be the final developer-focused construct earlier than the brand new OS heads into open beta in April, and it exhibits with the brand new user-focused adjustments which have already been noticed.
Proper off the bat, we seen that it included a helpful new shortcut for foldables that may permit you to simply proceed utilizing an app on the quilt display. Different high quality of life enhancements we reported on have been improved digital camera high quality when utilizing a Pixel as a webcam, a dose of recent app drawer settings for the Pixel Launcher, and the flexibility to share Bluetooth audio with buddies.
However Android 15 is not all enjoyable and video games — some severe enhancements have been made on the safety aspect of issues as properly. As an illustration, the system will now authenticate you when altering USB modes to raised shield your information when related to an exterior system. And on a considerably sadder (however justified) be aware, apps that focus on Android 6.0 Marshmallow can not be put in, successfully ending the period of install-time permissions.
Android 15 is pulling the plug on apps constructed for Android Marshmallow
Apps should goal Android Nougat at a minimal
Apple’s in sizzling water
Apple has discovered itself underneath severe regulatory strain this week, because the US Justice Division filed a monopoly go well with towards the corporate for the techniques it has employed to maintain iPhone customers from leaping ship to Android and different ecosystems. Among the complaints within the go well with embrace the Apple Watch solely working with iPhones, and the truth that, except for an EU-specific construct, iOS doesn’t permit third-party fee apps to make the most of the iPhone’s safe NFC chip for faucet to pay.
However for these of us on Android, the grievance poised to make maybe the largest shakeup facilities round Apple’s iMessage exclusivity — one thing that made headlines a few months again when Apple rapidly laid down the banhammer on Beeper’s workaround that introduced blue bubbles to Android. Beeper’s CEO, Eric Migicovsky, had some alternative phrases for Apple again then, and in an interview with our Will Sattelberg after information of the lawsuit broke, Migicovsky echoed a few of these sentiments and bought an opportunity to broaden on his ideas on why iMessage is extra about ecosystem lock-in than communication for Apple.
The case towards Apple’s monopoly, defined by Beeper’s CEO
Eric Migicovsky shares his ideas on iMessage lock-in, how Apple impacts the world of startups, and extra
YouTube takes a stance on AI
Like some other Google product, we have seen YouTube add a number of options that depend on AI in current months. However this week, it took a transparent stance towards AI-generated content material — no less than, the kind of content material that could possibly be deceptive. Now, creators are required to reveal when their movies use generative AI in a method that alters content material — for example, deepfakes or AI-generated depictions of occasions that didn’t happen. There are some exceptions, nevertheless it appears to be an inexpensive coverage general.
YouTube will clearly label sure AI-generated content material
Creators at the moment are required to reveal their generative AI utilization when it is likely to be deceptive
Samsung goes seamless
In per week the place we discovered that the following Galaxy foldable is likely to be cheaper than any of us thought and that the Galaxy S25 could possibly be bigger than life, it was a lower-profile midrange system that caught our eye greater than the rest out of Samsung’s camp.
After eight years of bucking the pattern, it seems that Samsung has lastly caved and added seamless replace assist to the Galaxy A55. We reached out to Samsung US to see if this may come to older gadgets or probably upcoming ones, however the remark we got solely reminded us that the Galaxy A55 is not going to be offered within the US. Nonetheless, one can dream, proper?
It solely took Samsung 8 years so as to add this helpful Android characteristic
Samsung seems to have added assist for seamless updates on the Galaxy A55
Epic Video games Retailer
Manner earlier than the US determined suing Apple was cool, the EU laid down the regulation on gatekeepers just like the iPhone maker and Google with its DMA. Because the act turns into regulation this month, we’re beginning to see ripple results, like Google shifting a few of its Android insurance policies and Apple making an EU-only construct of iOS, full with additional sideloading choices and the flexibility to make extra third-party apps the defaults for performing some duties.
Now that Apple has opened the door for third-party app shops on its cellular OS, the corporate that was largely answerable for bringing points like these addressed within the DMA to the fore is launching its personal app retailer for video games. The Epic Video games Retailer is predicted to be obtainable for each Android and iOS by the top of 2024, and it is anticipated to host extra than simply Epic’s first-party titles like Fortnite.