12 Top New Android 14 Features (2023): How to Install, Features, Release Date

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The world’s most in style cellular working system has one other new model improve within the works—(*12*)Android 14—which guarantees enhancements to privateness, safety, and efficiency. Google, the corporate that manages the OS, has additionally made it some extent to enhance the expertise for bigger screens, like tablets and folding smartphones. Android 14 remains to be in growth and is at present solely accessible as a developer preview, however the ultimate model will probably land in your telephone within the fall. Here, we break down the options which have caught our eye thus far, and we’ll be including extra as the corporate shares extra new options over the approaching months.

If you are questioning, Google formally dropped the alphabetical Android dessert names with Android 10, however the variations are nonetheless codenamed internally with the identical system. Last yr’s Android 13 was Tiramisu, so this yr’s “U” letter dessert is named Upside Down Cake. Let’s dig in. 

How to Download and Install Android 14

Google has launched two developer previews of Android 14 thus far. These previews allow builders to check the forthcoming model of the cellular working system, find out about any new options, and put together their apps or video games to work with it correctly. We don’t advocate putting in Android 14 but as a result of it’s nonetheless buggy and unstable and you’ve got to soar by way of a number of hoops. It will not be lengthy earlier than Google releases the official beta, and we advocate ready for that as an alternative.

If you might be decided to strive the preview, you will have to have a Google Pixel smartphone (Pixel 4A 5G or later) and can have to unlock the bootloader, which is able to wipe it, erasing all the things. If you could have a spare telephone you need to strive that with, listed below are the official Android Developers’ directions. Make certain to again up your Android telephone first.

Top Android 14 Features

We are highlighting our favourite options and enhancements thus far, however there’s hypothesis about what is going to make the ultimate lower. You can study extra at (*12*)Google’s developer website. From what we have seen, Android 14 is essentially wanting like a small improve over its predecessor, with no main developments. 

Improved Battery Life

There isn’t any headline function right here, however Google has put some critical effort into bettering the effectivity of Android to cut back energy drain. Changes to how the working system handles background duties, downloads, and uploads, alongside a number of different tweaks, ought to allow Android house owners to squeeze slightly extra life from their telephone batteries. It additionally seems as if the choice to test “screen time since last full charge” within the battery settings menu (eliminated in Android 12) is again.

Courtesy of Google

Larger Fonts and Smarter Scaling

Switching to a bigger font in Android 13 was restricted to 130 % on Google’s Pixel telephones, however Android 14 permits you to scale fonts up to 200 %. To forestall wonky layouts, the system makes use of nonlinear scaling, which implies any phrases which might be already scaled up (reminiscent of headings) will not develop bigger, making the textual content extra readable for people with imaginative and prescient impairment.

Notification Flashes

Android 14 permits you to activate digital camera flashes and display flashes for incoming notifications. This has been accessible on different Android smartphones (like Samsung units) and iPhones for years, nevertheless it hasn’t been baked into the working system itself. You can activate one or the opposite, or each, and select the colour your show will flash. Primarily designed to assist folks with listening to loss, it might probably come in useful for anybody who does not need their telephone to make a noise or buzz with each incoming notification.

Better Support for Large Screens

The very first thing Google introduced within the preliminary developer preview was assist for builders making an attempt to construct apps that adapt gracefully to totally different display sizes. With extra instruments and design recommendation accessible for builders, we are able to count on apps that work properly throughout smartphones, folding telephones, and tablets. This would mirror what Apple has executed to make its app ecosystem transition seamlessly from iPhone to iPad to MacBook. 

Courtesy of Google

Restricting Photo and Video Access

If you might be uncomfortable with the all-or-nothing nature of granting an app entry to your pictures and movies, you may be happy to study that Android 14 provides an possibility to choose the particular pictures and movies it’s allowed to entry. Apple launched a related function in iOS 14.

Enhanced Security

Since malware tends to goal older variations of Android to keep away from safety enhancements in newer variations, Android 14 will not allow you to set up older apps from Android 5.1 and earlier. There are a number of different behind-the-scenes tweaks to enhance safety, however maybe most notable is improved assist for authentication with passkeys enabling biometric login as an alternative of utilizing passwords for extra apps.

Courtesy of Google

Regional Preferences

Whether you like the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, Monday or Sunday as the beginning of your week, or particular calendars or numerals, you possibly can set these systemwide in Android 14 and they’re going to persist by way of backup and restore. There can be improved assist for gendered languages like French, and higher language customization based mostly on area.

Satellite Connectivity

There has been some buzz about satellite tv for pc connectivity for telephones for some time now, particularly since Apple debuted Emergency SOS through Satellite with the iPhone 14 final yr. Support for such connectivity in Android 14 was confirmed by this tweet from Google’s senior vice chairman for Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer. Precisely what this can imply remains to be unclear, nevertheless it may carry higher connectivity to distant areas that at present lack cell service. 

Predictive Back Gestures

Google has not formally introduced this, however the newest developer preview consists of predictive again gestures, which afford you a glimpse of the display a swipe-back gesture will take you to. It will not be at present apparent the place a again swipe will take you in Android; generally it’s the dwelling display, generally a earlier display or an app. This will hopefully clear issues up. 

App Cloning

Folks with two accounts in the identical app will respect this one. A second occasion of an app permits you to use two accounts concurrently. Some smartphone producers provide methods to do that with choose apps, and there are workarounds, however an official Android possibility within the settings menu will probably work higher. This is one thing Google is barely testing proper now, and it could not make the ultimate Android 14 launch.

Health Connect

You may use one app in your good scales, one other for operating, and yet one more to monitor your sleep. Google’s Health Connect app gives a method to centralize your well being and health knowledge and share it throughout totally different apps and providers, although it’s nonetheless in beta. There’s hypothesis that the app might come preinstalled on all Android 14 units.

Improved Share Options

The share menu in Android has lengthy been inconsistent throughout totally different Android units and apps. Android 14 does not assure an enchancment, however there’s an opportunity Google might standardize and enhance on the present mixture of share sheets that pop up whenever you strive to share something. It’s on our want checklist. 


The Android 14 Timeline

Android 14 is at present in developer preview. We’ll probably hear an excellent deal extra about new options throughout Google I/O, the corporate’s developer convention that takes place on May 10. Expect an official beta to land quickly after (if not the identical day) and months of beta releases till Google unveils the ultimate model in late August or early September. Pixel telephones are often first to get the replace; you will have to test your machine’s software program coverage to see whether or not and whenever you’ll get it.  

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