Pixel 9 phones won’t be released running Android 15 — what the heck is happening?

If you were paying attention to yesterday's Made By Google event , and the launch of the Pixel 9 series, you might have noticed that Android barely got a mention. The Android section of the presentation ended up being dominated by Gemini news, and there was zero information about Android 15 — or more specifically when the upgrade will leave beta.

Normally, new Pixel flagships launch running the next version of Android out of the box, but we had heard rumors that this may not be the case with the Pixel 9 . As skeptical as we were, it turns out those rumors were completely true — and Google specs confirm the Pixel 9 will launch running Android 14 .

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially when you remember that Pixels usually launch in mid-October — meaning the Pixel 9 is arriving 2 months earlier than everyone we expected. We had speculated that the launch could have been brought forward so the Pixel 9 and Android 15 launch around the same time — but that clearly isn’t the case.

To top it off, Google hasn’t given us any additional information. We don’t know when Android 15 will arrive or why the Pixel 9 series is launching so much earlier than previous years — leaving us to try and fill in the gaps ourselves.

Android 15 must still need work

The simplest explanation is that Android 15 probably isn’t ready yet. Unlike new versions of iOS, which typically launch a few days ahead of the next iPhone launch event, Android’s release dates bounces around quite considerably. Sometimes we’ll see the software arrive in August, other times September and on a few occasions it doesn’t arrive until October — as was the case with Android 12 and Android 14.

The fact that Samsung has reportedly delayed its Android 15/OneUI 7 update indefinitely lends some support to that idea. Samsung is the biggest Android phone maker around, and has pretty close ties with Google at the moment.

If someone like Samsung doesn’t know when Android 15 might be ready for prime time, then clearly there’s still a bunch of work that needs doing to the software behind the scenes. We just don’t know what that might involve or how long it might take to finish. And we won’t know anything more until Google actually decides to tell us.

Of course bringing the hardware launch up, when the software isn’t ready yet, is still pretty confusing.

There’s the AI and Apple factor to consider too

There are two big factors that Google needs to consider, though. The first is AI, which is increasingly becoming a very competitive industry, and Apple — a smartphone titan that’s also pushing into that market with Apple Intelligence .

Barring the occasional blip like the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple’s fall schedule runs pretty much like clockwork. Early September will see it launch the latest version of iOS, closely followed by the reveal of brand new iPhones — and other hardware.

Considering how much emphasis there was on AI and AI-powered features during the Made by Google event , it makes sense that Google would want to get ahead of the competition. More so considering the new AI features didn’t make any mention of Android 15 — suggesting they may still be able to work on Android 14 so long as the hardware is on board.

Google did talk about how both the Tensor G4 and increased RAM will play a big part in the Pixel 9’s AI prowess. If at least some of those features can run on the phone without needing Android 15 first, then it does make some kind of sense to get those devices out sooner rather than later. Someone may have decided the wait for Android 15 is a better compromise than waiting two months and letting Apple Intelligence gain some additional ground.

What happens next?

Gemini isn’t Android, despite being part of the Google event’s “Android” presentation. But if Google is focussing more of its resources to better compete in the wider world of mobile AI, it makes sense that work on Android 15 might take a little longer to complete. Especially since it’s not a particularly high profile or exciting update .

It’s incredibly strange that Google wouldn’t divulge key information on when the update is going to arrive, especially considering it’s going against the usual trend. But we won’t know what’s happening until Google actually decides to tell us what’s going on. For now anyone picking up the Pixel 9 , Pixel 9 Pro , Pixel 9 Pro XL or Pixel 9 Pro  Fold should be aware that they will be receiving a phone running Android 14.

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

More from Tom's Guide

• Google Pixel 9 vs Pixel 9 Pro vs Pixel 9 Pro XL: Biggest differences explained
• Google Pixel 9 — 6 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip
• 5 ways Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold beats Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6