Google debuts first Android 15 developer preview without a single mention of AI
- Reference: 1708327873
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/02/19/android_15_first_developer_preview/
- Source link:
A Friday [1]post by veep of engineering Dave Burke led with the inclusion of the latest version of Privacy Sandbox on Android – an addition billed as delivering both "user privacy" and "effective, personalized advertising experiences for mobile apps."
Burke also enthused about the addition of Android 14 extensions 10 around Health Connect by Android, as it "adds support for new data types across fitness, nutrition, and more."
[2]
Partial screen sharing is another new feature and does what it says on the tin: allow users to record a window instead of the entire screen. Burke mentioned increased demand for large screen Androids in tablet, foldable, and flappable form factors, which surely explains why partial screen sharing makes sense.
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A trio of additions are designed to improve battery performance. Burke described them as follows:
A power-efficiency mode for hint sessions to indicate that their associated threads should prefer power saving over performance – great for long-running background workloads.
GPU and CPU work durations can both be reported in hint sessions, allowing the system to adjust CPU and GPU frequencies together to best meet workload demands.
Thermal headroom thresholds to interpret possible thermal throttling status based on headroom prediction.
Developers focussed on shutterbugs will gain low light enhancements that boost the brightness of the camera preview, plus "advanced flash strength adjustments enabling precise control of flash intensity in both SINGLE and TORCH modes while capturing images."
[5]Google silences Bard, restrings it as Gemini with optional $20-a-month upgrade
[6]Google's AI-fueled IDE Project IDX tries to show you how your app runs on Android, iOS
[7]Google is changing how search results appear for EU citizens
[8]Google allows 15 more nations to offer gambling in the Play store
Burke billed the developer preview as offering "everything you need to try the Android 15 features, test your apps, and give us feedback."
Developers willing to heed his call have two options: Flash the OS onto one of Google's Pixel 6, 7, 8, Fold or Tablet devices, or load the preview into Android Emulator in Android Studio.
Instructions on how to do both can be found [9]here .
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Burke's post suggests a second developer preview will appear in March, before monthly betas arrive starting in April. Platform stability is forecast for June, and Burke promised "several months before the official release to do your final testing."
The second-last item on Google's [11]release timeline is Beta 4 in July, and the last is an undated event described as "Android 15 release to AOSP and ecosystem."
Google debuted its Pixel 8 devices on October 8, 2023. The Register fancies Android 15 will debut not many days either side of a similar date in 2024, as Google does like to have its latest handsets show off the most recent version of Android.
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Whenever it debuts, Android 15 will likely include lots of AI – a tech refreshingly absent from Burke's post about the OS's debut. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2024/02/first-developer-preview-android15.html
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZdOJOmW47fMNOW@9pnROoAAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZdOJOmW47fMNOW@9pnROoAAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZdOJOmW47fMNOW@9pnROoAAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/09/google_gemini_ultra_llm/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/26/google_project_idx_cloud/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/18/google_search_update_dma/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/29/google_expands_gambling_app_availability/
[9] https://developer.android.com/about/versions/15/get
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZdOJOmW47fMNOW@9pnROoAAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://developer.android.com/about/versions/15/overview#timeline
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZdOJOmW47fMNOW@9pnROoAAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Word Definitions
> the latest version of Privacy Sandbox on Android – an addition billed as delivering [...] "effective, personalized advertising experiences for mobile apps."
I need a new dictionary. Mine is clearly wrong/outdated.
Re: Word Definitions
In this case it's not you, it really is the children Google who are wrong.
Re: Word Definitions
I'm not sure what the problem with that statement is.
"effective, personalized advertising experiences for mobile apps."
The mobile ad experiences are effective for both Google and the advertisers. Google can certainly still track everything you do - and even if the advertisers can't - they're stuck trusting Google that they can do effective targetted advertising, just as they were before. We know Google can't, but the advertisers want to believe it so hard, and are paying so much money - so they do.
Now Privacy has a definite meaning. But I think you're forgetting that the term is:
Privacy Sandbox
I look up the meaning of sandbox in the OED:
Computing: a testing environment in a computer system in which new or untested software or coding can be run securely.
OK securely is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. But I'm willing to buy untested...
Computing: Isolate (a piece of software) so that it can access only certain resources, programs, and files within a computer system.
Those certain resources being all of your private data. Which Google have neatly placed into the privacy sandbox, in order to be able to use.
North American: a shallow box or hollow in the ground partly filled with sand for children to play in; sandpit
Another definition of a sandpit being a hole in the ground full of sand and dog turds in which small children hit each other over the head with plastic toys. Seems apt.
Or maybe ding, dong, the fad is dead! Which old fad? The recurring old fad! Ding, dong, the recurring old fad is dead!
I propose that AI is the opposite technlogy to nuclear fusion.
Fusion is always nearly theoretically ready, but 30 years in the future for actual deployment.
Whereas AI was always something we thought we might have been close to 30 years ago, but then turned out not to be. And with no theoretical underpinnings, given we don't even know how natural intellitgence works.
If they can't even make this years monthly release notes come to the top of https://support.google.com/pixelphone/community there's not much hope for their AI so best left out!