Navigating Android 15 Compatibility: What Actions Required on Developers Side

With new features, security enhancements, and behavior changes rolled out in Android 15, all apps will be affected and it’s important for developers to ensure that their apps are compatible with the updates. Let’s break down what’s changing and how you can adapt to keep your app running smoothly.

One of the first big changes in Android 15 is the increase in the minimum target SDK version to 24. If your app targets an older SDK, it won’t install on devices running Android 15. This move is part of an effort to make apps more secure and better aligned with modern privacy standards. So, if your app still targets older SDK versions, you’ll need to update it to at least SDK 24 to ensure it installs and runs on new devices.

Another important change is how PendingIntent works when an app is force-stopped. Previously, PendingIntent objects could remain active even if the app was no longer running. But with Android 15, all PendingIntents are cancelled when an app enters a stopped state. When the app is launched again, it will need to re-register its PendingIntents via an ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED broadcast. If your app uses PendingIntent, you’ll want to consider this change and adapt accordingly to avoid unexpected issues.

Apps that rely on audio playback—especially in direct or offload modes—may run into issues on Android 15 when resources are limited. Android 15 now invalidates AudioTrack objects if another app is using too many resources, causing previous audio sessions to fail. If your app involves audio streaming or similar functions, it’s essential to test under Android 15 to make sure these new limitations don’t disrupt your app’s functionality.

Android 15 introduces support for devices that use 16KB page sizes, a move that will help optimize the performance of apps, especially those that run on devices with larger memory. If your app contains native libraries (like so libraries), you’ll need to rebuild them to be compatible with the 16KB page size. While this might not be an immediate concern for all devices, it’s something to consider as more Android 15-powered devices come to market.

If your app uses the back gesture for navigation, you may have noticed that predictive back animations are now more integrated into Android 15. This feature used to be optional, but now it’s the default. For apps that haven’t yet adapted, this could cause some navigation glitches or broken transitions. To avoid issues, you’ll want to make sure your app handles this animation smoothly, especially if you’re using fragment transitions or custom animations.

Android 15 presents a variety of changes that developers need to prepare for to keep their apps compatible with the latest devices. Alongside these changes are Google Play’s deadline by August 2025, when all new apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) to meet its submission criteria. This means you’ve got some time to adapt, but don’t wait too long to make changes.

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