Android 14 Features

Google introduced the new Android 14 operating system for Pixel smartphones and the system images are available on the Developer Preview channel. The company plans to reach the Platform Stability milestone by July 2023, followed by Stable deployment in late July or early August.

On February 8, the Android maker released the very initial build (Developer Preview 1) of the latest version of its mobile platform. It’s a developer-centric version, which comes with under-the-hood changes and new APIs to help app developers understand and grow the ecosystem.

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Developer Preview

Let’s explore Android 14 Features (DP 1) [Source – Mishaal Rahman]

Predictive back gesture

Android 14’s brand-new predictive back gesture allows you to preview where you’re going when you swipe back. To be mentioned, Android 13 just shows preview swipes back to the home screen. Have a look:

Vibrant “Basic colours” in Color Palette

The first DP build of Android 14 introduces more vibrant “Basic colours” options in the Wallpaper and style section. It looks like, the company has tweaked the first four-color carousel with brighter, more visually stand-out options.

Apps installed in the background

This is a new feature introduced by Android 14 DP, which lists apps that are sideloaded in the background, without your permission. You can check and uninstall them as they are not necessary for your phone to work normally.

Fast Pair

Samsung introduced the Galaxy S23 series, which brings Google’s Fast Pair feature out of the box. This feature has now arrived in the “Connection preferences” section, courtesy of the Android 14 Developer Preview 1.

Integrated Health Connect

Android 14 has integrated Google’s Health Connect platform, which is currently available through an installable application. The DP1 has a new Mainline module called Health Connect that contains the Health Connect app.

Prevention to install old apps

Android 14 will now warn you when you install an app that targets API level 27 or lower (ie. Android 8.1 or older). The threshold that triggered this warning was previously set at API level 22 (Android 5.1) in Android 10.

Tweaked “Security & privacy” section

The new OS brings a handful of minor changes to the Security & privacy section such as the addition of a new subpage for subheadings instead of dropdown menus.

Battery Saver UI

Android 14 comes with a couple of changes to the Battery section and operation of the Battery Saver UI. The Battery Saver section now has Basic and Extreme battery-saving options along with an integrated Adaptive tool.

Screen time in Battery usage section

Ditched with Android 12, Android 14 Developer Preview 1 brings back the ability to see just how long your screen has been on since your last full charge.

Taskbar text labels on larger displays

Android 12L brought the nifty Taskbar feature for large-screen devices such as tablets and foldables. Android 14 DP1 now shows text names below dock app icons in the taskbar on screens with a tablet DPI of 600+.

Advanced memory protection

Mishaal Rahman spotted that Android 14 is adding a new beta feature called “advanced memory protection” that “helps you protect your device from bugs that may put your security at risk.”

Hearing devices

In the new OS, there is a dedicated settings page for hearing devices at Settings > Accessibility > Hearing devices. It lets you pair a new hearing aid device, enable a shortcut to these settings, and toggle “hearing aid compatibility”.

One UI-inspired Cloned Apps

Android 14 is preparing to add a One UI-inspired app cloning feature. Many OEMs/third-party apps offer this functionality already, but it’s nice to see work on this in Google’s version of Android for Pixel phones.