Those who paid attention to yesterday's Made By Google event and the announcement of the Pixel 9 series may have noticed that Android was barely mentioned The Android section of the presentation was dominated by Gemini news, with zero information about Android 15 or, more specifically, when the upgrade would be out of beta

Normally, new Pixel flagships launch with the next version of Android right out of the box, but we had heard rumors that this might not be the case with the Pixel 9 As skeptical as we were, these rumors turned out to be completely true - and Google's specs confirm that the Pixel 9 will launch with Android 14

That makes no sense at all, especially when you remember that the Pixel typically launches in mid-October We had speculated that the launch might have been moved up so that the Pixel 9 and Android 15 would launch at the same time, but that is clearly not the case

Besides, Google has not given us any additional information; we can only try to fill in the gaps ourselves as to when Android 15 will be available and why the Pixel 9 series is launching so much earlier than usual

The simplest explanation is that Android 15 is probably not ready yet Unlike new versions of iOS, which usually launch a few days before the next iPhone launch event, Android release dates are quite back and forth: sometimes the software arrives in August, sometimes in September, and sometimes, like Android 12 and Android 14, not until October Sometimes they do not arrive until October, as in the case of Android 12 and Android 14

The fact that Samsung has reportedly postponed the Android 15/OneUI 7 update indefinitely supports that idea to some extent Samsung is the largest Android phone manufacturer and currently has a fairly close relationship with Google

If someone like Samsung doesn't know when Android 15 will be ready for prime time, there is obviously still a lot of work that needs to be done on the software behind the scenes We just don't know what that involves or how long it will take to complete And we won't know any more until Google actually tells us

Of course, it is still quite confusing to bring up a hardware launch when the software is not yet ready [But there are two major factors that Google should consider One is AI, which is becoming increasingly competitive, and the other is that smartphone giant Apple is entering this market with Apple Intelligence

Barring the occasional unforeseen event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple's fall schedule runs almost like clockwork: the latest version of iOS will be released in early September, followed by the new iPhone and other hardware

Given how much emphasis was placed on AI and AI-powered features at the “Made by Google” event, it makes sense that Google would want to stay ahead of its competitors Even more so given that the new AI feature did not mention Android 15, suggesting that it could work with Android 14 as long as the hardware is on board

Google said that the Tensor G4 and increased RAM will play a major role in the Pixel 9's AI capabilities If at least some of these features can be performed on a phone without requiring Android 15 first, it makes a certain amount of sense to offer these devices sooner rather than later Someone may have decided that waiting for Android 15 is a better compromise than waiting two months for Apple Intelligence to gain more ground

Gemini is not Android, despite being part of the “Android” presentation at the Google event However, if Google is focusing its resources to better compete in the wide world of mobile AI, it makes sense that Android 15 might take a little longer to complete It's not a particularly high-profile or exciting update

It is incredibly odd that Google would not reveal important information about the timing of an update, especially given that it goes against the normal trend But until Google actually tells us, we won't know what's going on For now, those who get the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold should be aware that they will be receiving phones with Android 14

Thankfully, these four devices should be the first to get Android 15 whenever it actually arrives