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Most of the world The popular mobile operating system has yet another version update – Android 14 – which brings improvements to privacy, security and performance. Google, the company that runs the OS, has also taken the lead in improving the experience on larger screens such as tablets and smartphones. Android 14 is still in beta, but the final version could land on your phone by the end of summer. Here, we’ll break down the features that caught our eye, and add more as the company shares more features in the coming months.
Interestingly, Google has officially dropped the alphabetical Android sweet names in Android 10, but the versions are still named according to the same system internally. Last year’s Android 13 was Tiramisu, so this year’s “U” dessert is called Upside Down Cake. Let’s dig in.
Updated April 13, 2023: The first Android 14 beta is here, and we’ve added details.
How to download and install Android 14
After launching two developer previews of Android 14, Google has released the first official beta version. The previews were aimed at developers, but the Android 14 beta is for Google Pixel owners who want to test the latest features. We do not recommend installing Android 14 beta on your main phone; Because mistakes and problems are inevitable.
If you decide to try it out, you’ll need to have a Google Pixel smartphone (Pixel 4A 5G or higher) and sign up for the Android Beta for Pixel program. If you visit that link and sign in to your Google account, your eligible devices will be listed and you can easily click on them. opt-in. Make sure to backup your Android phone first. There will be regular beta releases that should be reasonably stable, but be aware that you should Clean your phone If you want to exit the program and go back to the latest stable public Android version.
Top Android 14 features
It’s highlighting our favorite features and improvements so far, but there’s speculation as to what will make the final cut. You can learn more on the Google developer site. From what we’ve seen, Android 14 looks mostly like a minor upgrade over its predecessor without any major changes.
Improved battery life
There’s no headline feature here, but Google has put some serious effort into improving Android’s efficiency to reduce power drain. Changes to how the operating system handles background tasks, downloads and uploads, along with a few other tweaks, should allow Android owners to squeeze a little more life out of their phone’s batteries. It also looks like the option to check “After full screen time” in the battery settings menu (which was removed in Android 12) is back.
Courtesy of Google
Larger fonts and smarter scaling
On Android 13, resizing fonts is limited to 130 percent on Google Pixel phones, but Android 14 allows you to enlarge fonts up to 200 percent. To prevent unsightly layouts, the system uses non-linear scaling, which means that any high-rise words (such as titles) are not enlarged, making them more readable for people with visual impairments.
Notification flashes
Android 14 lets you turn on camera flashes and screen flashes for incoming notifications. This works on other Android smartphones (such as Samsung devices) and iPhones yearsBut it’s not baked into the OS itself. Turn on one or the other or both and choose the color your display will light up. It is primarily designed for the hearing impaired and anyone who doesn’t want their phone to beep or beep with every incoming notification.
Better support for large screens
The first thing Google announced in the first developer preview was help for developers trying to build apps that fit beautifully on different screen sizes. With more tools and design tips available to developers, we can maintain apps that work well on smartphones, flip phones, and tablets. This reflects Apple’s ability to seamlessly transition its app ecosystem from iPhone to iPad to MacBook.
Courtesy of Google
Restrict access to photos and videos
If you’re not comfortable with the all-or-nothing feature of allowing the app to access your photos and videos, you’ll be happy to know that Android 14 adds the option to select specific photos and videos that are allowed to access. Apple introduced a similar feature in iOS 14.
Improved safety
Android 14 does not allow you to install apps older than Android 5.1 and earlier, as the malware targets older versions of Android to avoid security updates in newer versions. There are a few other behind-the-scenes tweaks to improve security, but the most notable is improved support for authentication with passkeys that enable biometric login instead of using passwords for additional apps.
Courtesy of Google
Regional elections
Whether you prefer the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, Monday or Sunday as the start of your week, or specific calendars or numbers, you can set these on Android 14 and continue with backups and restores. There is improved support for gender languages such as French and better language customization based on region.
Satellite connection
There have been some rumors about the phone’s satellite connectivity, especially since Apple introduced satellite emergency SOS with the iPhone 14 last year. Support for such a connection in Android 14 was confirmed by This tweet Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s senior vice president of Android. It’s not yet clear exactly what this means, but it could lead to better connectivity for remote areas that don’t currently have cell service.
Prophetic back signs
Google has added a popular back arrow to match your wallpaper or theme for more gesture navigation. Coupled with backward-looking gestures, a swipe back lets you see at a glance the screen you’re taking, it should be easy to understand how people navigate and where they land. It’s not currently clear where swiping back will take you in Android; Sometimes it’s the home screen, sometimes it’s a previous screen or app.
Application Cloning
People who have two accounts in one app will appreciate this. A second example of an application allows you to use two accounts simultaneously. Some smartphone manufacturers offer ways to do this with select apps, and there are workarounds, but the official Android option in the settings menu might work better. This is something Google is testing right now, and may not make it into the final Android 14 release.
Health communication
You might use one app for your smart scales, another for running, and another to track your sleep. Google’s Health Link app offers a way to centralize and share your health and fitness data across multiple apps and services, though it’s still in beta. There is speculation that the app may come pre-installed on all Android 14 devices.
Improved sharing options
The sharing menu in Android has been inconsistent across different Android devices and apps since long. Google is now allowing apps to add custom actions to the system sharing sheet, and additional app data will be used to determine the level of your sharing targets. This allows for a more consistent and useful sharing menu that offers the apps and contacts you really want to share with.
Android 14 timeline
Android 14 is currently in beta. We’ll likely hear more about the new features during Google I/O, the company’s developer conference on May 10. Expect several months of beta releases until Google releases the final version in late August or early September. Google Pixel phones are usually the first to get the update; You should check your device’s software policy to see when you’ll get it.
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