Google releases Android 15 Beta 4 update, stable could release next

Android 15 Beta 4 update is out and this could be the last testing build before a stable release. The new firmware contains some essential bug fixes that will wipe out all the troubling issues found in the previous build and provide a certainly better experience.

Google has mentioned that Android 15 Beta 4 is the “last scheduled update” in the software testing program. Perhaps the next rollout will likely be a stable version with several interesting features and useful enhancements for Pixel smartphones.

“Today we’re bringing you Beta 4, the last scheduled update in our Android 15 beta program. So make sure your apps are ready and you have given us any critical feedback before non-beta users start getting Android 15” – Google.

Note that this is the second platform stability release version. The new firmware is rolling out with the AP31.240617.009 version. It brings several fixes alongside the July 2024 security patch. Although there are certain things to pay attention to!

For instance, Android 15 has pulled out the PNG-based emoji font file. Pixel devices will now run only vector-based files. There are certain known issues in this version. Hence, Google might kick off a 4.x beta build in the coming weeks. You can check the details below.

Android 15 Beta 4 starts rolling out (Image Credits: Android Developers)

New Bug Fixes are here!

Developer-reported issues

• Fixed an issue with contrast that made some elements in Quick Settings Tiles hard to read.
• 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.

Other resolved issues

• 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 a 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.

Bluetooth resolved issues

• Fixed a bug that prevented the Digital Car Key app from performing low-latency scans when running in the foreground.
• Made a fix to use custom UUIDs instead of standard HOGP service UUIDs in the Android head-tracking service.
• Use head-tracking codec capabilities to detect transport support in the 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.

Known Issues:

Android platform

• When an app window is transitioning to picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, the PiP window disappears if the device is rotated before the PiP transition finishes.
• An error page shows while adding an account during device setup.

Android Studio and tools

• The Android 15 preview API level (VanillaIceCream) isn’t displayed in the Preview Configuration window.
• In some cases when checking for updates in Android Studio, the latest version of the Android SDK Build-Tools that includes the Android 15 preview SDK isn’t offered.
• While configuring a new project in Android Studio, the Android 15 preview SDK version is not listed in the Target SDK Version and Min SDK Version drop-down menus.
• Sometimes an Android Virtual Device (AVD) using an Android 15 system image fails to launch if the AVD is launched in embedded mode.
• An issue with the Android Emulator sometimes prevents an app from being redeployed to an Android Virtual Device (AVD) after the AVD is closed.
• An issue with the Android Emulator causes the hearing device accessibility shortcut to launch multiple settings app windows.
• An issue with the Android Emulator causes the notification window to flicker while typing a direct reply.
• An issue with the Android Emulator sometimes causes authentication flows in apps to fail and display a “Google Play services keeps stopping” message.
• An issue with the Android Emulator causes Simpleperf to crash when running a CPU profile.
• An issue with the Android Emulator causes the languages listed in the system language settings to display incorrect characters.
• An issue with the Android Emulator sometimes causes the QR Code scanner to display a “Something went wrong” message and fail to launch.
• An issue with Android Studio causes the Device Manager to temporarily stop displaying “Missing system image…” warning messages after an SDK Platform is added or removed using the SDK Manager.
• An issue with the Android Emulator prevents the Google Discover feed from loading in some cases.

Apps

• An “Android System Intelligence keeps stopping” message appears while creating a file in the Google Docs app.
• The Google TV app sometimes fails to initiate video playback and instead displays a “Play Movies & TV is temporarily unavailable” message.