You not need to be a developer to see the advantage of an Android 14 preview. Google has launched the primary Android 14 beta, and there are a number of slight however significant enhancements for early adopters. Apps can now add customized actions and shortcuts to Android’s share sheets. In different phrases, cross-app performance ought to be significantly extra highly effective as soon as sufficient software program takes benefit of the characteristic.
You may additionally see a “extra outstanding” again arrow within the gesture-based navigation interface. The arrow additionally enhances your machine theme or wallpaper. It is a minor contact, however it theoretically helps customers perceive how gestures work.
Further upgrades are behind the scenes. Apps can now restrict accessibility companies’ capability to see delicate information. This prevents malicious companies from peeking at data, and reduces the probabilities of performing essential actions by mistake. Android 14 Beta 1 additionally helps new vector-based visible results in apps, similar to interpolation and morphing.
Earlier Android 14 previews improved accessibility, battery life and safety. There’s additionally stronger help for foldable telephones and tablets in addition to regional personalization on a per-app foundation.
You may nonetheless want both Android Studio’s emulator or a recent-enough Pixel machine (the Pixel 4a and newer) to strive the Android 14 beta. It is simpler to put in, nonetheless, as you now simply need to enroll your Pixel within the Android Beta Program to obtain this and future updates. We nonetheless would not use the beta on a mission-critical cellphone, however it’s now dependable sufficient that you just would possibly wish to strive it on a secondary handset the place glitches are tolerable.
Google might not have revealed every part there’s to learn about Android 14. It sometimes waits till its I/O convention within the spring to share the key characteristic units for upcoming Android launches, and you will not see the primary launch candidates till June. The finished OS is more likely to arrive late in the summertime. Consider this as Google slowly drawing a curtain open — it isn’t fairly prepared for the total reveal.
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