Google has announced and shown off Android 15, which is the next major version of its mobile operating system. The development and release cycle of Android typically has a three-phase strategy, and that applies to Android 15 as well.
The first phase is always the Developer Preview phase, which happened earlier this year. It’s then followed by the more public Beta testing phase, and then the final, stable version comes out for everyone.
If you’re wondering when your current Android smartphone will get the Android 15 update, here are all the details so far.
When is Android 15 coming out?
As we mentioned already, the typical Android release cycle has three phases: developer preview, public beta testing, and the final release.
The developer preview began on February 16, 2024. With the developer preview, app developers get a look at the upcoming changes so that they can familiarize themselves with the new software. This lets them plan ahead to add new features to their own apps if desired.
On April 11, we had the first public beta of Android 15. This allows anyone who wants to try out the software ahead of release to test the new features. Beta testers can report issues and bugs to Google, which helps shape the final release of the software. The public beta versions are much more stable and less buggy than the developer preview builds, but remember — this is still early software, so it’s not going to be perfect.
As of August 20, Google has released Android 15 Beta 4.1 for eligible devices for those who are enrolled in Google’s beta testing program. This is available to the public, so you don’t need a special invite or account. Once you’re enrolled in the program, just download the Android 15 beta.
As far as the general public release window for Android 15, it should be sometime in the fall or toward the end of the third quarter of 2024. Going off past records, Android 14 came out in October 2023, and Android 13 launched in August 2022.
Google Pixel
The easiest way to get access to the Android 15 beta is to have a Google Pixel device. That’s because Android is developed by Google, and the Pixel lineup is Google’s own hardware, similar to Apple’s iPhone and iOS, so it makes sense that Pixels would get the beta first.
The Android 15 beta is available for the following Pixel devices so far:
Unfortunately, the Pixel 5 and earlier won’t be able to get the Android 15 update. But if you have any of the above Pixel devices, then you’re good to go.
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung’s One UI 6 was one of the biggest visual upgrades in many years, but the brand is rumored to be doubling on the visuals and improving animations with One UI 7. A beta rollout is expected some time in the coming weeks, though Samsung has yet to reveal the specifics.
At the moment, Samsung has not announced any concrete plans about which of its devices will be able to get Android 15. But we can make some educated guesses.
First, Samsung offers at least two years of software upgrades, which it recently bumped up to seven for the latest Galaxy S24 lineup. With this in mind, it’s safe to assume that any Samsung device that shipped with Android 13 out of the box will be eligible for the Android 15 update.
Another set of devices that should get Android 15 are any flagships and midrange phones that launched with Android 11 and have four years of major OS upgrades, as that was Samsung’s policy prior to the change to seven years.
Here’s a list of possible Samsung devices that could get Android 15 based on those factors:
Galaxy S Series
Galaxy Z Series
Galaxy A Series
- Galaxy A73
- Galaxy A55
- Galaxy A54
- Galaxy A53
- Galaxy A35
- Galaxy A34
- Galaxy A33
- Galaxy A25
- Galaxy A24
- Galaxy A23
- Galaxy A15
- Galaxy A14
Galaxy Tab Series
- Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus
- Galaxy Tab S9 FE
- Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S9 Plus
- Galaxy Tab S9
- Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
- Galaxy Tab S8
There are also Samsung’s Galaxy F and M Series phones. In short, there are a lot of possible Samsung phones that will receive the Android 15 update. We just listed out some of the more popular and more recent devices, but as long as it falls within the criteria mentioned above, it should get Android 15.
We will hear from Samsung later with a confirmed list of supported devices for Android 15 and update accordingly.
OnePlus
After Google I/O, it was revealed that the Android 15 beta would roll out to certain OnePlus devices starting May 15, 2024. These include:
Unfortunately, the OnePlus 12R does not seem to be able to get the Android 15 beta at this time.
The Android 15 beta update will have to be manually installed, and there are specific steps laid out for the process in the OnePlus forums. It is highly recommended that a backup is performed before installing, as there is a risk of bricking. The device needs to be running Android 14.0.0.610 and below — versions above this cannot be upgraded without rolling back first.
There are also some reported issues already. With the OnePlus 12, there may be some compatibility issues with Bluetooth connections; the Smart Lock function can’t be used, there are some abnormal camera functions, and some third-party apps aren’t yet compatible and could crash.
The OnePlus Open has the same issues plus some new ones, too. For one, you can’t get the smart select or cutout options when long-pressing the main body of an image in Photos. The size of the drop-down status bar quick switch also shows abnormalities after the screen resolution switches to High from Standard.
If that hasn’t deterred you from installing Android 15 Beta 2 on your OnePlus 12 or OnePlus Open, go ahead and check out how to install it on the forums.
Meanwhile, a stable Android 15 update with OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15 skin may not fully roll out until its next flagship, the OnePlus 13, is announced. Based on promises by the brand, here are the devices eligible for an update:
In addition to the Android 15 beta, OnePlus typically runs limited trials for OxygenOS beta as well. If you are in the U.S. or India, you might have a chance to test it out before the final builds are widely available.
Motorola
Similar to Samsung, Motorola has not made any official announcements for its Android 15 support. So we’ll go off another educated guess again.
It’s pretty safe to assume that all Motorola devices released within the past year will be getting Android 15. This includes the recently announced Edge 50 series, last year’s Edge 40 series, the Edge Plus, the Razr Plus (Razr 40 Ultra), and Razr (Razr 40) foldables.
Motorola also releases many budget-friendly phones, like the Moto G 5G (2024) and G Power (2024). These should also get Android 15, though it’s unlikely all of Motorola’s budget phones will be updated.
Motorola is also known to roll out updates slowly, and it claims that some phones, such as the Moto G84 that came out in 2023, will not be getting Android 15. Such claims throw the rest of the potential updates into chaos.
Still, here’s a list of what devices are likely to get Android 15:
- Motorola Razr Plus (2024)
- Motorola Razr (2024)
- Motorola Edge 50 Ultra
- Motorola Edge 50 Pro
- Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
- Motorola Razr 40 Ultra / Razr Plus (2023)
- Motorola Razr (2023)
- Motorola Moto X40
- Motorola Moto G73
- Motorola Moto G54
- Motorola Lenovo ThinkPhone
- Motorola Edge Plus (2023)
- Motorola Edge (2023)
- Motorola Edge 40 Pro
- Motorola Edge 40 Neo
- Motorola Edge 30 Ultra
- Motorola Edge (2022)
Again, this is speculation based on current Motorola support for its devices. We will update this list once we get a final confirmation.
Nothing
At the moment, you can get the Android 15 beta on your Nothing phone, as long as it’s a Nothing Phone 2 or Nothing Phone 2a. Unfortunately, those who have an original Nothing Phone are out of luck.
If you have one of those eligible Nothing Phones, then you should head over to the Nothing Community forums to check out how to download the Android 15 beta on your device.
Based on promises made by Nothing at the time of launching phones, we can expect Android 15 to be delivered to these devices:
Honor
Right now, the Android 15 beta is only available for the following devices from Honor:
If you have one of those devices, you can grab the Android 15 beta right now. Similar to OnePlus, there are some known issues, though a few of them have been fixed. As of July 30, it seems that the only real concern is that there continues to be a low probability of the phone restarting in certain scenarios.
Not a deterrent? Go ahead and check the instructions on how to download the Android 15 beta for your Honor Magic 6 Pro or Magic V2 from the Honor Developers page.
In addition, the following phones are expected to receive the Android 15 update:
Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco
Xiaomi gave its Android skin a complete overhaul — from visuals to the underlying code — with Android 14. In this process, it transitioned the majority of its devices from the landmark MIUI to the new HyperOS that is also slated to run across other smart devices, including its line of EVs.
Xiaomi has already rolled out Android 15 developer preview builds for its flagship, the Xiaomi 14, alongside the Xiaomi 13T Pro and its premium tablet, Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro (12.4-inch only). To download and install the respective firmware updates, head over to Xiaomi’s support page for Android 15 beta updates.
Although the company has yet to declare which devices (in addition to those above) will receive Android 15 updates, we can speculate based on earlier claims about the number of updates. For the sake of simplicity, we limit these to phones only available globally and not limited to specific regions.
Here is the list of phones from Xiaomi and its sister brands Redmi and Poco:
- Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra
- Xiaomi 13, 13 Pro, 13 Ultra, 13 Lite
- Xiaomi 13T and 13T Pro
- Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro
- Xiaomi 12T and 12T Pro
- Xiaomi Pad 6
- Redmi Note 13 (LTE and 5G variants), 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Plus
- Redmi 13C
- Redmi Note 12
- Redmi 12 (LTE and 5G variants)
- Poco X6 Pro
- Poco F6 and F6 Pro
- Poco M6 and M6 Pro
As previously with MIUI, Xiaomi’s HyperOS updates are not necessarily tied to Android updates. This means that two phones can get the same HyperOS versions with similar features while running different generations. This is good news for cheaper and older phones that are excluded from receiving Android 15 updates, such as the flagship Mi 11 and Mi 10 series.
Realme
Realme, OnePlus’ sister brand, is fairly popular in Asia and is slowly creeping up the charts in other parts of the world. Though the interface it runs is called Realme UI, the interface closely resembles OnePlus’ OxygenOS, which itself is drawn largely from parent Oppo’s ColorOS.
Just like OnePlus, Realme also has an Android 15 beta program, but specifically for the Realme 12 Pro Plus but only for users in India. The instructions are listed in a Realme community post if you have an Indian unit.
However, a larger batch of devices in more regions can be expected to roll out following Google’s and Oppo’ release of their respective updates. Based on previous promises, here are all the Realme phones expected to get the Android 15 update:
Like Xiaomi, we have limited the list to devices widely available globally.
Keep this in mind while installing Android 15 beta
While Android 15 is in its final stages of testing, stable builds have yet to be released by Google. Until that happens, other manufacturers are unlikely to roll out stable updates based on Android 15 — and will resort to releasing custom user interfaces based on Android 15 beta. Since these won’t be stable versions, there are a few things to note while testing them on your phone, irrespective of the brand.
Firstly, builds based on Android 15’s Developer Preview will lack the essence of the custom Android skins. This is because developer previews are meant for developers to test and optimize their apps for upcoming versions of Android. Eventually, updates based on Android 15’s beta will begin to trickle out, and Samsung is usually the first one in this race. While these builds will be more stable and have the visual aspects belonging to the brand, the experience may not fully reflect toward the final update post stable release of Android 15.
Therefore, if you plan to try any of these updates, avoid using them on your primary Android phone. Even if you choose to, ensure to make a backup of any crucial data as you might end up losing it if the update causes your phone to malfunction.
Keep checking this thread for more updates. We will update it with links and instructions on how to install beta updates for phones from each brand.
