Google held their Made By Google event yesterday, where they showcased their new Pixel 9 series. They also showed off some new AI features along with a couple of smart accessories. But surprisingly, there was no mention of Android 15 which was due out today. At the same time, AI took center stage throughout the event.
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Yes, Google didn't even offer a glimpse of Android 15 in an event where the company usually talked about what's new in the latest variant of their mobile operating system. Like many, I watched the stream waiting for the search giant to talk about Android 15, which didn't happen. I kept pressing "Check for Updates" on my Pixel hoping the update would come, but it didn't.
It's also the first time that Google released a new line of smartphones running on a year-old Android 14. Usually, the most exciting thing about a new Pixel device is that they're the first in line to come with the latest Android version. This also robs these new Pixel 9 devices of an extra year of updating. Since they're released with Android 14, like the Pixel 8 series, they'll technically get 6 years of updates instead of 7.
Android was briefly mentioned during the Made by Google event, only to then shift focus and discuss how well Gemini will be tuned into it going forward. Almost the first 25 minutes of the live stream consisted of the other senior members of the company talking about Gemini, its capabilities, how it works with other Google apps and services, its multimodality and how deeply it is integrated into Pixel 9 devices.
