I've stopped caring about OS updates, but Android skins are back in fashion

If you’re a Pixel owner, you’re almost certainly running the new Android 15 update by now. If not, go and prod that update button. For everyone else, who knows quite how long we’ll be waiting before the update comes to our handsets — hopefully not too long.

But even when One UI 7, OxygenOS 15, and the rest land, they’ll undoubtedly look quite a lot different from Google’s Pixel update, and not just in terms of appearance. For better or worse, a lot of Android’s latest headline grabbers are destined exclusively for its Pixel phones. Tough luck, everyone else.

It’s not like this is a new trend. Google’s Pixel smartphones have always had their exclusive features, from Call Screen to modern tools like Top Shot. However, that list has quickly grown since Google moved to its in-house Tensor processors for the Pixel series, where it leverages its silicon for advanced AI and photography features. Google has phones to sell now, after all, and it’s spending heavily on in-house differentiators.

Peel back the veneer on Google’s official Android 15 announcement, and the foldables tweaks, Private Space, and Adaptive Vibration don’t apply outside of Google’s ecosystem. The broader Android landscape is left with a smattering of UI tweaks to better integrate features like SOS satellite calling and countless low-level improvements like ANGLE and faster video encoding — important but hardly exciting.

Thankfully, most of us will get Theft Detection Lock, but Find My Device’s remote lock and other capabilities don’t even need Android 15 to work. This brings me to a key point about modern Android — major OS updates are far less important than they used to be. At least when it comes to interesting features.

Google’s work on Project Mainline has modularized a lot of Android’s core system components, allowing them to be patched, updated, and improved without an OS upgrade. Mainline doesn’t cover everything; it’s more about keeping things ticking over and secure. However, it has helped Google bring some major features, like Circle to Search with AICore, Gemini in place of Assistant, and even UWB casting on Pixels, through a simple Play Store switch. Meanwhile, Apple customers had to wait for iOS 18 to sample Apple Intelligence, and in years gone by, we relied on core Android updates for features like Google Now on Tap, Digital Wellbeing, Privacy Dashboard, and the like, which would probably all be Play Store updates these days.

This change has been great for fast-paced experimentation and innovation but has left core Android updates with much less of an identity in recent years. Android versions and the platform’s most interesting new features aren’t in lockstep any more. This wouldn’t be such a problem on its own, but it’s put far more eggs in the Play Store basket, making Android and Google all the more inseparable. Moreover, Google’s feature development focus is firmly planted in Pixel land. The broader Android landscape is sort of missing out.

Case in point: We’re yet to see deeper on-device Gemini Nano capabilities make their way to consumers more broadly. It’s not an OS limitation, as Motorola and Xiaomi flagships started implementing features before receiving Android 15. Rather, it simply takes time, development resources, and, of course, money to integrate these capabilities.

Pixel is leaps and bounds ahead of the average smartphone in the mobile AI space because Google leverages its much bigger existing cloud business. It’s also invested heavily in custom silicon to power computational photography, which it is firmly set on keeping exclusive to the Pixel series. Not to mention its suite of Drive, RCS messaging, and other apps few can emulate. Other brands aren’t so fortunate.

That said, Google isn’t the only one working on unique additions to the Android baseline. Samsung is an industry behemoth with an inside track that helped it develop Galaxy AI ahead of the competition, and quickly backport it to a number of flagship phones. OnePlus and OPPO are big players with their own stores, some new AI features, and a history of dabbling in dedicated photography features and silicon. But the Android ecosystem also has interesting, smaller players who don’t have the luxury of big AI or photography research teams.

What happens to ASUS, Motorola, HMD, and, to some extent, Sony as interesting features are increasingly separated from core OS upgrades? Are mid-range staples doomed to be bland from here on out? Honestly, I’m a bit worried about them.

It’s not that you need Live Transcriptions or Magic Editor to make a solid phone, particularly if it’s affordable. However, these features are setting a higher bar. Just ask anyone who’s sampled Google’s Pixel software, even on the affordable A-series. While they might have one eye on the superior hardware from other brands, it’s very hard to leave behind Pixel exclusives like Call Screen, Voice message transcriptions, or Top Shot to switch to basically any other Android brand. Not that other brands don’t have their own unique selling points too, but as someone who’s used a ton of phones, it’s Google’s ecosystem that’s the hardest to leave.

That said, Google certainly doesn’t owe Android any of its extra Pixel goodies. As Android’s custodian, it continues to integrate the necessary security, API, and ecosystem toolset upgrades that an OS needs. But that’s where it ends; it’s up to OEMs to build on top of that baseline, but the bar is being pushed higher and possibly soon out of the reach of some. My gut says we’re staring down the barrel of another Android ecosystem consolidation, but I don’t want to gaze too deeply into my crystal ball.

Android skins have always been an important aspect of the OS’ experience and appeal, of course. But while previous years were dominated by unique takes on the UI, customization, and the occasional unique tool, they’ve quickly become much more all-encompassing. Today, AI, photography, media editing, security, and multitasking features vary widely, making each skin more like a mini-OS. Even if the market stays roughly as it is, your choice of brand is becoming an ever-greater influence on your Android experience. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but I know for sure that I’ll be keeping a closer eye on what’s new and what’s missing from everyone’s take on Android 15 in the coming months.