Android 15’s second beta release lets users lock down access to private apps

Alongside Google’s ongoing developer-focused I/O conference comes the latest release of Android 15, which is now in its second beta. It’s got some cool new features, like the ability to now hide a collection of apps inside a “private space,” customizable vibrations so you can notice different types of notifications just by feeling, and also richer widget previews.

The new private space function is the most interesting of the bunch: it can hide apps you don’t want others seeing into a biometric or PIN-protected container in the app drawer. It’s one of several new security features coming to Android.

Private space leverages Android’s user profiles, so apps that you put in a private space also curtain away notifications for those apps and files made or downloaded within them. One could, for instance, lock away all their dating apps into a space and not get inundated with matches at undesirable times.

Another cool new feature is custom vibrations for incoming notifications. Now users can set distinguishing vibes for a Slack or Teams message versus an Uber Eats delivery update without taking their phone out of their pocket.

For developers that like making widgets, there’s a new rich widget preview ability that helps users understand what it’ll look like before placing it on the homescreen. For instance, when you look inside the Widget Picker and see the option for a contact card, you can now see an actual person from your contacts in the preview instead of a placeholder one.

Android 15’s second beta release has other notable additions today that didn’t make it to the relatively pedestrian first release. The newer version works on more devices, too, including foldables and tablets from manufacturers like Lenovo, Realme, Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo, Nothing, and others.