Android 14 has been within the eyes of the general public since February 2023; with two developer previews already out and beta updates now making their strategy to enrolled Pixel gadgets, there’s rather a lot to unravel for customers. And at I/O 2023, Google saved the ball rolling by introducing new AI-based customization options which can be coming to assist make your system extra private. It additionally talked about modifications to over 50 functions (core and third-party) that can make utilizing them on the Android tablets extra thrilling.
With the ultimate model of the replace anticipated to hit gadgets in Q3 2023, right here we dive into the whole lot it is advisable know concerning the upcoming adjustments.
Android 14 is presently accessible to the general public for testing by way of the beta program — Beta 2 is now accessible to public — and when you’re concerned about making an attempt out the upcoming replace you may set up it in your Pixel system. However we advise in opposition to putting in it in your major system. These early releases typically comprise bugs that would break core functionalities and limit sure apps from working. Nonetheless, when you do select to put in the beta model, be certain to again up your knowledge.
What’s Android 14 referred to as?
Google not follows its dessert naming scheme and, as a substitute, applies a numerical quantity for every new launch. That mentioned, Google internally continued including candy names to its OS variations, and Android 14 is formally referred to as “Upside Down Cake”.
Upside Down Cake is the subsequent new model after Tiramisu (Android 13), Snow Cone (Android 12), and Crimson Velvet (Android 11).
When is Android 14 popping out?
Supply: Google, Illustration by Roland Udvarlaki (Pocketnow)
Based on timeline particulars shared by Google, Android 14 is about to observe a launch schedule just like earlier model updates. Developer Previews will attain gadgets over Q1 2023, whereas beta releases will arrive in Q2 2023. Beginning Q3 2023, we will anticipate “Platform Stability” updates (Beta 3) to exit, after which the ultimate launch ought to be prepared.
Traditionally, Google launched the ultimate variations in August and September; we anticipate Android 14 to observe the pattern in 2023.
Platform Stability updates are a consolidated model the place Google will not add or take away options, however quite concentrate on refining the software program for public use.
What gadgets are appropriate with Android 14 beta program?
Alongside the timeline, Google additionally introduced the appropriate gadgets eligible to enter the Developer preview and Beta program. In a traditional vogue, the record solely contains Pixel gadgets, nevertheless it goes all the way in which again to the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G). You’ll find the complete record under:
Google Pixel 7a and Google Pixel Fold will make their strategy to market earlier than Android 14 is prepared for public launch. Therefore, we consider they may also assist the Android 14 beta as soon as they’re within the fingers of the general public.
Google Pixel 7
The brand new Google Pixel 7 is powered by the all-new Google Tensor G2 chipset. The system is coupled with 8GB of reminiscence, and it has 128/256GB storage tiers. The telephone comes with a considerably improved digital camera system, and it is extra moveable than the final era. The Pixel 7 is accessible in Obsidian, Lemongrass, and Snow colours.
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Google Pixel 7 Professional
The Google Pixel 7 Professional, powered by the brand new Google Pixel Tensor sensor, offers nice graphics efficiency and computing energy to allow you to simply play your whole favourite video games and multitask. The system additionally has a extremely succesful digital camera setup that is backed by a novel post-processing algorithm that helps obtain nice outcomes.
Google Pixel 6a
$299 $449 Save $150
For those who do not care about excessive refresh charge, wi-fi charging, a glass again, and some different tidbits, this ought to be your telephone. It is a Pixel that options the identical chipset because the final 12 months’s Pixel 6 sequence however inexpensive. Take a look at all of the offers on the system utilizing the hyperlinks given under.
Tips on how to set up the official Android 14 Beta?
The best strategy to set up the Android 14 Beta 1 software program is by visiting the official web site. When you’ve got an eligible system, and also you’re signed in, it is best to see your Pixel smartphone on the record. You may opt-in and obtain the primary Beta replace by way of an OTA (Over-the-Air) replace inside a couple of hours and set up the brand new OS.
For those who later determine to opt-out of the Android Beta Program, you need to know that your system can be wiped when you go away earlier than the Android 14 steady model is launched. Because of this you may need to undergo a factory-reset, and you may lose your whole info. To opt-out, you may go to the identical web page that you simply used to sign-up, the place you may see your appropriate gadgets and an “opt-out” button beneath them. After restoration, the system can be factory-reset and run the newest publicly accessible model of Android 13.
When you’ve got an unlocked bootloader and need to flash the manufacturing facility picture by way of fastboot, there’s a superb information at XDA you could observe.
What’s new in Android 14?
Modifications in Android 14 Beta 1
- Minor visible change: to “At a Look widget”, which is now again to 2 strains.
- Minor visible change: and app shortcuts now present the pause and app data icons in reverse order.
- The brand new again arrow follows the Materials You system theme, and it is extra outstanding than earlier than.
- Functions can now add customized actions to the share sheet, making them extra helpful. There’s additionally a brand new “close by” motion to assist share information with different close by gadgets.
- The per-app language preferences possibility now detects the languages on a per-app foundation, they usually can now be configured to be supported robotically.
- Accessibility companies won’t get visibility of particular views until they declare to assist customers with disabilities. To make sure the necessities are adopted, Google will use Play Shield to verify these claims for the apps within the Google Play Retailer.
Minor adjustments in Developer Preview 2
- There are extra rounded UI components and a barely tweaked highlighting animation. Moreover, the media participant has a barely tweaked animation when turning on the display screen from an At all times-on show mode. The participant additionally has a brand new glow impact when interacting with the media participant itself.
- The lock display screen additionally seems to allow the change the clock types, however this hasn’t been enabled in DP2 but.
- In Settings > Battery > There’s a brand new “Battery widget” possibility. Because the identify suggests, the characteristic places a battery widget on the house display screen, performing as a shortcut and directing the person again to the battery settings web page.
- Improved safety and privateness menus. Every particular person part has acquired its personal web page, changing the drop-down layouts.
- A full-screen picture preview is now accessible when deciding on and altering wallpapers in settings. Moreover, Android 14 might let customers create emoji wallpapers on Pixel gadgets (by way of XDA-Builders)
New system icon
Supply: Android
Android 14 has a brand new system icon resembling a mission badge for rockets. The brand new icon seems in system settings, notifications, and different pop-up home windows all through the working system.
Higher accessibility options
Google provides new accessibility options in each new Android launch. In Android 14, customers will have the ability to scale textual content as much as 200%. The scaling possibility beforehand maxed out at simply 130%. The scaling curve may also change to forestall scaling points with the structure to a brand new non-linear possibility.
Moreover, proof means that Android 14 might make including listening to gadgets and listening to assist doable by way of Bluetooth. The settings might present further options to supported gadgets, offering higher audio for the customers.
Flash notifications
Android 14 Developer preview 2 added a brand new choice to flash the display screen in 12 pre-defined colours. The brand new possibility in settings permits customers to flash both the digital camera LED lights, or the display screen (or each) to flash when new notifications or alarms sound. This may be helpful to inform customers once they obtain a name, SMS textual content messages, notifications from apps, and different sorts of alarms. There are not any further settings, and this may’t be personalized on a person app foundation.
The brand new “Flash notifications” characteristic will be present in:
- Settings
- Accessibility
- Flash notifications
New again gesture animation
Earlier Android variations included the again gesture animation, however let’s simply say they weren’t all the time apparent. It was typically irritating and complicated, for the reason that animation blended in with the background, making it arduous to see. That seems to alter in Android 14, as Google unveiled a brand new design with a novel animation.
The brand new again gesture will now reveal the display screen you are about to go to, serving to you see the window you are about to navigate again. The brand new button will include its personal distinctive animation, which may also observe the brand new Materials You themed options to undertake the colour primarily based in your system settings and wallpaper.
Mishaal Rahman activated the flags, required to check out the brand new again gesture, and right here’s the way it appears in motion. As you may see, the appliance provides a peeking animation, indicating customers that they’re about to depart the app, or return to a earlier state or window. The brand new interface additionally sports activities a brand new pill-shaped design that comprises an arrow.
Whereas that’s all good and appears good in follow, the principle situation seems to be the brand new approach this can be carried out. Because it stands, builders must implement and assist this characteristic on a per-app foundation, and it gained’t be the default habits in Android 14. The benefit is that builders can additional optimize and improve the expertise with extra visible variations. Nonetheless, the draw back is that there could also be much more confusion when utilizing the again gesture.
Solely time will inform whether or not builders will use this, and issues can nonetheless change when Android 14 Beta and the ultimate construct turns into accessible later within the fall. In developer preview 2, Google began supporting this characteristic within the settings on Pixel gadgets.
Blocking the set up of older apps
Android 14 will stop and limit sideloading functions by default. Because of this customers gained’t have the ability to obtain and set up functions which can be focusing on SDK variations 23 or decrease. For these unaware, the SDK dates again to 2015 and Android model 6.
Google explains that the older SDKs are used to put in malware and different malicious software program on Android gadgets, and this restriction is geared toward stopping that from taking place. The transfer will make it more durable to put in malicious software program on newer Android gadgets. Thankfully, Android will allow customers to bypass this by overriding the settings by way of an ADB command.
adb set up --bypass-low-target-sdk-block APPLICATION.apk
Improved per-app language, and new regional preferences choices
Android 13 launched the choice to alter the language on a per-app foundation, enabling you to alter the language for choose functions. Based on the newest findings, builders can show choose languages within the settings, permitting them to point out completely different choices for various areas.
Moreover, there could also be one other “regional preferences” possibility in settings that may allow you to alter the temperature items, and different quantity preferences inside the menu. This could enable customers to alter the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius, use completely different calendars, and alter the primary day of the week, and the quantity system you favor utilizing.
The Regional Preferences characteristic offers extra customization choices to each customers and builders. The operate might lastly imply that conversions are not vital and might be accomplished robotically in just some faucets.
App cloning
Twin messenger on Samsung One UI 5.1
Many producers permit you to clone functions, reminiscent of WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, and extra. These clone apps allow you to add a number of accounts to messaging apps, that may in any other case restrict you to a single account on a tool.
Based on the newest discoveries, the Android crew could also be engaged on bringing the brand new characteristic to Android 14, permitting customers to do the identical app cloning that has been accessible on some gadgets for a number of years.
Community adjustments and the flexibility to modify to eSIM throughout Android gadgets
Bodily SIM, eSIM, and iSIM, Supply: Pocketnow
Customers who depend on and use two SIM playing cards of their gadgets may need encountered an issue the place they needed to swap between the 2 numbers to get a greater reception. Based on some new findings, the method might quickly be automated, permitting customers to robotically swap between the 2 sim playing cards, primarily based on the sign of their native space. The choice will allow customers to quickly swap between networks to extend the sign energy to make calls and entry the web.
Moreover, Android 14 might allow customers to show bodily SIM playing cards into eSIMs on the system itself. Assuming that the provider builds an answer to assist this methodology, it might make switching and upgrading to new Android gadgets a lot simpler sooner or later, lowering the necessity to contact the provider at any time when the SIM must be transferred.
This characteristic dates all the way in which again to Android 13’s Developer Preview builds, and it might quickly arrive in Developer, and Beta builds in Android 14.
Choice to uninstall bloatware
Carriers love putting in bloatware on smartphones, and Google could be wanting into including an choice to take away these from the gadgets. A brand new discovering means that “Apps put in within the background” might quickly allow customers to take away these functions that will have been put in by carriers and producer companions. We will solely hope this makes it onto the ultimate construct of Android 14 later within the fall, because it might lastly release helpful house on gadgets and permit customers to eliminate functions they by no means use.
The share menu has undergone a number of adjustments previously few years, and whereas it’s come a great distance, it’s nonetheless removed from good. Many functions have completely different layouts and designed share menus, making it tough and generally complicated to pick the platform or contact you need to share info with.
To fight this, the share menu might quickly develop into unbiased of system updates, making it simpler for Google to implement and replace on gadgets. A common share menu might be a actuality as Google works on an answer to have one common share sheet throughout all Android 14 working gadgets.
Additions introduced at Google I/O 2023
At Google I/O 2023, Google took to the stage to introduce a couple of different additions to Android, the primary of which was Magic Compose. The characteristic lives inside the Messages software and can immediate customers with textual content recommendations to make getting your level throughout simpler.
The opposite addition was the flexibility to customise the Lock Display to make the system really feel extra private and helpful. Customers can change the clock on their Lock Display by selecting from the accessible choices — akin to the iPhone — and still have customized Lock Display shortcuts that can allow you to rapidly soar into actions.
Android 14 new options: Extra to return
Android 14 is beneath lively growth. The primary and second developer previews had been nice at providing perception to builders and customers for what’s to return within the next-version of Android. And the Android 14 Beta variations which at the moment are rolling out providing a extra steady model for the publ the general public, providing customers with eligible gadgets to test-drive the brand new OS earlier than it is publicly launched later this 12 months. Observe that Google might develop and embrace new options at this stage, and present ones might be eliminated at any time and never make it to the official construct. We frequently replace this publish with new updates, so don’t overlook to avoid wasting or bookmark it.
What options would you wish to see carried out and supported in Android 14? Tell us within the feedback down under!
