8 min read 2026-08-25 by ADB Systems Architecture Lab

Android 15 & 16 Developer Update: What’s New in ADB, Private Space & USB Debugging

Explore the latest Android 15 & 16 platform updates, 16 KB page size support, Private Space profile isolation, and changes to ADB permission grants.

1. Private Space and Multi-User Profiling

Android 15 introduces "Private Space", creating an isolated user profile for sensitive applications. When running ADB package commands, developers must now target the specific user profile ID (`--user <USER_ID>`) to inspect or debug applications inside the private container.

2. 16 KB Page Size Architecture

Android 15 adds support for 16 KB memory page sizes (moving away from 4 KB). Native C/C++ libraries deployed via ADB must be compiled with 16 KB alignment to prevent segmentation faults during installation.

3. Enhanced Background Activity Launch Restrictions

Android 15 and 16 further restrict background services from launching foreground activities. Running `am start` via ADB shell now requires explicit intent flags when interacting with non-exported components.