Some phones will soon receive an update that will increase your battery life

What’s the biggest complaint we all have about our smartphones? Not the fact that they follow us everywhere or share all our data, but the fact that their batteries are often garbage.

Well, happy days – the new Android 15 could give your phone three hours of battery life.

Sorry about the iPhone sticking out, you may still need to carry the charger with you.

Google unveiled plenty of new tech at its annual I/O event last week, including news of Android 15, but it wasn’t until later that this gem surfaced, when Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke appeared on the Android Faithful podcast and spoke with co-host Mishall Rahman for Android Authority.

He revealed that the new software will switch to sleep mode about 50% faster than Android 14. Sleep mode reduces battery consumption by managing how apps behave when the device is not used for long periods of time, ensuring that they are not constantly running .

Mr Burke revealed that during testing, the Google team saw an extra three hours of battery life with the latest tweaks – that’s effectively an evening out if your phone goes dead right after work.

Of course, many Android phones already offer much longer battery life than their predecessors, and new software isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get a full three hours of extra browsing — especially right after an update, which can affect battery life for a day or two. However, it is a good sign that the whole system should be more efficient.

The most important question is of course when will it be available?

Google only released Android 14 in October, so it’s unlikely to arrive before this October, but if we stick to the same schedule, it could arrive in the fall of 2024, alongside the rumored Google Pixel 9 launch.

This year’s lineup could also include the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, which is expected to have a larger display and better battery performance than its siblings.

What else is coming in Android 15?

Android 15 users will be offered a completely separate, private space for apps and data they don’t want displayed on the main screen, similar to Samsung’s Secure Folder.

This will allow people to hide sensitive apps and information – like Photo Album or Chrome – in a separate section within the app drawer that will need additional verification to open, such as a passcode or fingerprint. This means that even if family or friends get their hands on your phone, they will still not be able to see certain content.

Also on the security front, Theft Detection Lock will use AI to detect if your phone has been stolen at high speed and automatically lock the screen – meaning even if thieves get hold of your device, they won’t be able to get into it.

The same automatic lockout is also triggered if too many incorrect authentication attempts are made.

There will also be an update to access keys, with the account selection screen and confirmation screen now merged into one.

And one update could make some real noise – users will now be able to set custom vibrations for specific notification channels. This means that those of us who live with a silent phone (i.e. most of us) will know from the buzz in our pocket if the last notification is a WhatsApp, SMS or email.

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