The Android development team has just announced the release of the second developer preview for Android 15. 

The satellite communication functionality has been updated with new UI elements to provide a better user experience. Apps can also now use ServiceState.isUsingNonTerrestrialNetwork() to detect when a device is connected via satellite, and there is also now support for sending and receiving messages through SMS/MMS or RCS applications over satellite. 

The NFC experience was also updated; Apps can now request a device go into a mode where they listen to NFC readers but don’t send a response. 

PdfRenderer APIs have also been updated with advanced features like rendering password-protected files, annotations, form editing, searching, and selection. The APIs have also moved to a different module where they can now be updated using Google Play system updates, allowing updates to be separated from the platform release.

Audio recognition was also improved, with more fine-tuned capabilities for automatic switching between languages. The hope is that this will cut down on dropped words when switching, which has been an issue since the feature was introduced in the previous version of Android. EXTRA_LANGUAGE_SWITCH_INITIAL_ACTIVE_DURATION_TIME_MILLIS keeps switching to the beginning of an audio session, and EXTRA_LANGUAGE_SWITCH_MATCH_SWITCHES lets developers limit the number of times the language is switched in a session. 

Other new developer features added in this preview release include:

  • Granular line break controls with TextView
  • Support for more precise IntentFilter resolution
  • Expanded OpenJDK API support
  • The ability to show applications on the cover screen of flippable devices
  • Screen record detection
  • The ability for apps to customize Do Not Disturb rules

For efficiency updates, the team released the ApplicationStartInfo API, which gives details on whether an app had been started by a broadcast, content provider, job, backup, boot complete, alarm, or activity. 

Other updates include improvements to the Stopped State function of the PackageManager, more detailed app size information, the introduction of the mediaProcessing Foreground Service type, and new SQLite APIs. 

This release also introduces several media improvements, such as the ability to control the HDR headroom for images, automatic adjustments to volume to compensate for differences in volume between media, and deprecation of the Virtualizer class. 

“Android continues to add features enabling your apps to take advantage of premium device hardware, including the latest telecommunications features, high-end media capabilities, dazzling displays, foldable/flippable form factors, and AI processing,” Dave Burke, VP of engineering for Android, wrote in a blog post.