Google has rolled out Android 15 Beta 4 on its developer blog, marking the second “Platform Stability” release after Beta 3 finalized new APIs and app-facing changes.
This update allows developers to ready their apps for full integration with the new OS, signaling that a stable release is near.
What’s new in Android 15 Beta 4?
Emoji Update: Google has replaced the legacy PNG-based emoji font with vector-based emoji, ensuring they are infinitely scalable and won’t appear pixelated, even at high resolutions.
This change, previously introduced in Android 13 and supported through Android 14, will now apply to devices like the Pixel line, which will solely use vector graphics for emoji.
Bug Fixes:
- Prevents Pixel 6 devices from being bricked if reset too soon after updating.
- Allows Pixel Fold owners to enroll a face in Face Unlock without issues when folding or unfolding the device.
- Fixes a contrast problem with the Quick Settings tile.
- Restores app notification settings after a device backup.
The release includes numerous bug fixes:
- Fixed an issue with contrast that made some elements in Quick Settings Tiles hard to read. (~Issue #340944691~)
- Fixed an issue that in some rare cases caused some Pixel devices to get stuck in an unbootable state if the device was factory reset shortly after an OTA system update was installed. (~Issue #349860641~, ~Issue #349978813~)
- Fixed an issue where sometimes an Android Virtual Device (AVD) using an Android 15 system image failed to launch if the AVD was launched in embedded mode.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused app notification settings to fail to be restored when restoring a device from backup.
- Fixed an issue for Pixel Fold devices that prevented a user from continuing Face Unlock enrollment if the device was folded or unfolded during the process.
- Fixed various other issues that were impacting system stability, connectivity, performance, usability, and camera.
- Fixed a bug which prevented the Digital Car Key app from performing low latency scans when running in foreground.
- Made a fix to use custom UUIDs instead of standard HOGP service UUID in Android head-tracking service.
- Use head-tracking codec capabilities to detect transport support in LE Audio stack.
- Made a fix to prevent immediate rejection of Bluetooth pairing requests when there’s a mismatch between the API-suggested transport and the transport observed by the Bluetooth stack, potentially improving pairing success rates
- Fixed an issue with Lockscreen Constant Pin Prompt (~Issue#348101427~)
Build Information
- Release date: July 18, 2024
- Build: AP31.240617.009
- Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
- Security patch level: July 2024
- Google Play services: 24.23.35
The stable release is expected soon, potentially within a month, coinciding with the Pixel 9 launch scheduled for August 13. Android 15 is likely the final major beta before the public release, and developers are encouraged to prepare their apps for full integration.
Availability
Android 15 Beta 4 can be installed on the following Google Pixel devices:
- Pixel 8a, 8, and 8 Pro
- Pixel 7a, 7, and 7 Pro
- Pixel 6a, 6, and 6 Pro
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
To see if it’s available, go to Settings → System → Software updates → System update → Check for update.
Those already using a Developer Preview or Beta build will get an automatic over-the-air (OTA) update to Beta 4. According to Google, the update may take up to 24 hours to reach all eligible Pixel phones in the Android beta program, and it started rolling out last week.