It’s that time of year again, when Google releases a new version of Android for testing. The first public beta of Android 15 is now available, and if you’re interested in getting an early look at everything coming to Android this year, you can install the update on your Pixel.
But before installing the beta, there are a few things to note. The first Android 15 Beta still has a lot of issues, so I wouldn’t recommend installing it on your daily driver.
If you have a spare Pixel and want to check out Android 15 now, then scroll down for instructions on how to install the beta.
Things should stabilize for Beta 2 or Beta 3 as Google irons out the issues, and I’ll update this article once those versions go live. Google’s beta release schedule has not changed, so the next version will appear in May.
While Android 14 was an iterative upgrade that didn’t actually introduce many new features, things are different with Android 15. Google is rolling out a ton of user-facing changes this time around, and that alone is exciting.
Granted, most of these features aren’t live yet, with Google focusing its attention on Android 15’s underlying changes and other new additions. That said, if you’re on Android 14 now, there are a lot of features you’ll love about Android 15.
Okay, let’s introduce how to install Android 15 Beta.
Which phones can download Android 15 Beta?
Currently, the Android 15 beta is limited to Pixel devices starting with the Pixel 6. The list includes 10 devices in total:
- Pixel 6
- Pixel 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7
- Pixel 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel 8
- Pixel 8 Pro
- Pixel folding
- pixel tablet
The Pixel 5 and 5a missed out on the beta, and Android 15 is currently only available on Google’s own devices. That’s set to change soon as Google allows the best Android phones to get in on the action, and we’re likely to see OPPO, Vivo, Realme, OnePlus, Asus, and others get in on the action as well. We’ll learn more at I/O in May.
Install Android 15 Beta using the Android Beta Program
The easiest way to get the Android 15 beta is to sign up Android Beta Program.
Just visit the Android Beta portal, where you can see all the devices that are eligible for the Android 15 Beta. You can then opt into the beta, which will prompt Google to send over-the-air updates to your phone or tablet. You should then be able to install the update and restart your phone to switch to Android 15.
1. Go to Android Beta Program Portal on your Pixel phone.
2. Login Google account associated with this phone.
3. Scroll down to Your eligible devices.
4. Find the device you want to register Beta program and click Opt in.
5. Follow the prompts on your phone to accept wireless download.
What if I want to leave the beta program?
You can easily opt out of the Beta program by visiting the same Android Beta portal that you signed up for, scrolling down to your device, and selecting opt out. But be warned; doing so will erase all data on your phone.
Install Android 15 using Android Flash Tool
You can also use the Android Flash Tool, the web version of the ADB developer tools, to install the Android 15 Beta onto your phone.
1. Go to Android Flash Tools Site.
2. Allow sites Visit ADB in your browser.
3. Enable Developer mode on your phone (tap the Android version seven times).
4. Enable USB debugging In developer settings.
5. Enable OEM unlocking on your device.
6. Plug your phone into USB port on your computer.
7. Select the device from the pop-up window and then Follow the instructions Install the beta version.
Install Android 15 beta by flashing bootloader
If you want to manually try Android 15 on your Pixel, you’ll have to flash OTA to your Pixel. But before we begin, please note that this method will involve erasing all data on your phone; if you don’t want to do this, use the Flash tool above and sideload the Android 15 beta.
Before you start doing this, make sure you don’t have any OTA updates installed on your Pixel yet.go Settings > About phone > System updates and see that there are no pending updates.Also, make sure you have USB debugging Enable on your phone.
First, head to the Android 15 OTA images page and download the relevant version for your Pixel. To sideload builds onto the Pixel, you need to use ADB — I’m a fan of the universal ADB driver. Once installed on your Windows machine and the OTA image downloaded, you can start the sideload build.
You first need to put your phone into recovery mode.You can turn off the power and then Press and hold the power button along with Volume down button for a few seconds to enter the bootloader menu and use Volume down button.
Here you should see the Android mascot face down with an exclamation point above it.Press and hold power button and press Increase the volume Enter recovery mode once.Next, navigate to the option that says Apply updates from ADB by using Increase the volume button and press to confirm selection power button once.
Now you are ready to sideload the OTA image. Verify that your phone can connect to the computer and be detected. To do this, plug your Pixel into your computer and run the following command:
adb devicesYou should see your phone’s serial number, and Sideloading next to it. Now we can start flashing the OTA version; just run in CMD:
adb sideload ota_file.zipHere you need to switch out ota_file.zip The file name associated with the OTA version of your specific device. I’m installing Android 15 on a Pixel 8, so I entered the following: shiba_beta-ota-ap31.240322.018-236bea75.zip Enter the command prompt. To do this, make sure the OTA file is in the same directory as the CMD path.
Once the OTA file is transferred to your phone, it should return to the recovery menu.navigation Reboot the system now and confirm with strength button to restart the phone. The OTA update will be installed and your phone will switch to Android 15 without losing any data.
What’s next for Android 15?
We’re just getting started with Android 15, and we should see more features added as we get closer to the stable version. As in previous years, the Android 15 Beta program will include four beta versions, with the second version launching in May. June’s release – Android 15 Beta 3 – should be stable as Google rolls out a series of bug fixes based on feedback from earlier test builds.
The stable version should roll out sometime in the fall, in line with what we’ve seen in the past with Android 14 and Android 13.
We’ll delve into the details of the new features once we get closer to launch and Google starts rolling them out, but for now, Android 15 isn’t quite ready to go on your primary phone.
If you want to see what’s included in the latest version, head over to our Android 15 coverage.