Google Pixel phones to get Android 15 update in October: report | Tech Tips

This is the first time in history that Google’s new hardware, the Pixel smartphones launched with a generation-old OS i.e. Android 14 out of the box and not Android 15. This is because the company significantly moved its launch cycle ahead, where it unveiled not two but four phones, including a foldable in August against the usual cycle of October. Now, Android Authority citing sources reports that the Android 15 update for supported Pixel phones will not even roll out in September.

Android 15 is not coming out anytime soon

• The report notes that Android 15 might rollout to Pixel phones sometime in October
• This is significant considering Google is apparently planning to release Android 15 Source Code around next week.
• If it does, there will be a gap of around 30-45 days until the stable version hits Pixel phones and the source code is uploaded.

• This adds weight considering Google historically rolled out major Android version updates for its Pixel devices around the same time as it releases the source code, which is interesting considering the Pixel team and the team responsible for AOSP are separate, at least until this year.
• With the exception of Android 12 which had around 15 days gap (source code released on October 4th, OTA pushed on October 19th), Google released the OTA update on the same day as it uploaded the source code.

Pixel team no longer guarantees that the update might be released the same day as the source code is released/uploaded, primarily because the Pixel phones are used as reference devices to test and bring out new Android features. Testing and deploying updates is time-consuming and challenging.

The Pixel team at Google has been constantly withholding the updates until they’re absolutely ready. This gives them the time to test the features, iron out any bugs or even plan the marketing for the Pixel Features Drop.

It looks to be following the same pattern with Android 15 as well. Withholding the update should help improve its stability. Considering the significant gap between the source code release and Android 15 stable OTA, one can really hope the update is quite stable for daily use.