Rumor says Pixel 9 could come with Android 14, but that's not as bad as it sounds

Google has been moving smoothly through each phase of its Android 15 timeline, hitting each developer preview and beta date it marked out. As such, there’s no reason to think that Android 15 wouldn’t be ready to launch along with the Pixel 9 series. But a new report is putting this notion into question.

According to Android Headlines, Google is preparing to do something a little out of character for the Pixel 9 series launch. The outlet alleges that the tech giant’s next-generation phone will ship with Android 14 instead of Android 15. If this is true, it would be the first time the company has launched a new flagship with an old version of the OS.

The Pixel 9 series is scheduled to be announced on August 13 during the firm’s Made by Google event. This report attempts to support its claims by stating that the stable version of Android 15 could launch anytime between August 1 and the end of October. It argues that although it will be brief, Android 14 will be there when we open the box.

We are skeptical of this report, to say the least. It’s important to note that the publication has had to retract leaks like this before. Earlier this year, the outlet retracted a claim that Samsung was ditching the Galaxy S25 Plus because its model number didn’t appear in the IMEI database along with the base model and Ultra.

Even if it was a scenario where the handset shipped with Android 14 with an Android 15 update waiting for you, that would still be surprising. However, it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility. There’s a chance that the earlier launch date of the Pixel 9 series has forced Google’s hand to take this approach.

We have reached out to Google for comment and will update this article accordingly.