Google have announced a slew of new features for core Search, Maps and more overnight, and this morning they’ve followed up by launching the Developer Preview for Android 14, with the release now available to install on select Pixel devices.
What’s in Android 14
The Android 14 will focus on changes to streamline background work, along with enhancements to privacy, personalization, security, and more’ says Google, with Dave Burke, VP Android Engineering expanding more in the official launch blog.
According to Burke, ‘streamlining background work’ will offer improvements in a number of key areas including optimising the way apps work together, improving system health and battery life, and polishing the end-user experience.
After the launch and improvements of Material You in Android 12 and Android 13, Android 14 will also see more customisation for individual needs, including enhanced accessibility and internationalisation features. This includes the ability to scale fonts up to 200% – up from 130% in previous versions.
Developers will also gain more control over language for use in the per-app language customisation feature launched in Android 13, with the option to set language sets by location.
Security and Privacy are also a big focus for Google in Android 14 with older apps no longer able to be installed. Google says Malware often targets the older SDKs versions used in older apps to gain privileges on your device.
Android 14 Availability and Release
The Android 14 release will begin as a Dev Preview, before transitioning to a Beta release in April according to the official timeline. The timeline shows there are six releases expected, including todays release, before a full release around August.
The preview is available for select Pixel phones, with images available to install from the Android 14 Developer page on the Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro.
