Google announces Android 14 which is the 21st version of Android and its fourteenth major release. With new personalisation options including Ultra HDR & generation AI wallpapers, improved privacy support, and vision/hearing accessibility tools, Google’s newest OS, Android 14, is now rolling out for Pixel devices. The list of Pixel devices that are eligible or compatible with Android 14 has been listed below.
One of the numerous ways your Android phone improves over time is through new Android versions. A new media player, cross-device copy and paste, spatial audio, messaging app streaming, and many more innovations were included in Android 13 when it was released last year.
What’s new in Android 14?
Several large-screen features that were slated for Android 14 were advanced by Google and made available as upgrades for Android 13. A more streamlined Taskbar, enhanced foldable compatibility, and improved multitasking are all included in those changes.
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Customization
Android has always enabled you to express yourself in both utilitarian and aesthetic ways, from the wallpaper, style, and color palette theme to buttons and backgrounds. Google is now adding more options for customizing your phone to your liking.
The revamped customization picker in Android 14 makes it simpler to change wallpapers and update what you want to view at a glance. For quick, one-tap access to your most frequently used functions right from your Android lock screen, you can now add custom locks screen shortcuts, like the Google Home app or a QR reader.
Additionally, Android 14 enables you to express your creativity and artistic side without any prior artistic training. Generative AI wallpapers, which are exclusive to Pixel 8/8 Pro, let you make backgrounds that reflect your style by using text-to-image diffusion models produced by AI. With only a few touches, you can quickly create never-before-seen wallpapers by selecting from pre-set options.
Android also aids in enhancing the quality of your photos and cameras. Android 14 supports HDR photos with Ultra HDR, expanding on Android 13’s support for high dynamic range (HDR) video. Your images will appear their finest thanks to Ultra HDR, which brings out vivid colors, brighter highlights, and darker shadows. Plus, Ultra HDR captures and shows high-definition photographs without affecting the original quality of the picture because of the fantastic HDR screens that are available on many of today’s phones.
Control and Accessibility Features
People may measure their levels of wellbeing, health, and fitness using apps. However, the data that is gathered is frequently contained within each specific app, which restricts your access to and control over your data. Your Android 14 settings now include Health Connect as a central location to store all of your data so that you can maintain privacy control.
Additionally, your data is safely secured on your phone, ensuring that neither Google nor anyone else can access it or use it in any other way. To get started, just connect and sync your preferred health and fitness apps, such as Oura, Peloton, and Whoop.
Additionally, you’ll be able to see more information about how the applications that ask for access to your data are using it. With the new data-sharing enhancements on Android 14, you’ll be told when an app is sharing location data with third parties and may decide whether or not to provide access when you’re requested to grant applications permission to information like your location.
For instance, your device’s personal identifying numbers (PIN), which are among your most private data, are likewise covered by digital protection on Android 14. Android 14 encourages you to create a six-digit PIN, which increases PIN security. You won’t need to press enter once you’ve entered the proper 6-digit or longer PIN; your device will do it for you.
Enhanced low-vision and hard-of-hearing users experience
Numerous hearing and vision-inclusive capabilities are included in Android 14. With the ability to pinch to zoom in and out from 100%, Android 14’s upgraded magnifier is easier to use for people with limited vision.
In a new Magnifier Settings tab, you can also alter the magnifier’s size and choose how much of the screen is enlarged. Additionally, you may adjust your magnification to “Keep on when switching apps” in Android’s accessibility settings to stop your magnifier from shutting off when you transition between apps.
Additionally, Android 14’s font size Quick Settings tile allows you to alter the font size of the text on your smartphone fast. Nonlinear font scaling, which enlarges bigger font sizes more gradually than smaller font sizes, also improves readability. This keeps text that is already big enough from expanding bigger than it needs to be, allowing you to see what’s on your screen without having to worry about text getting cut off, wrapping to many lines, or messing up the style of the page.
Google also modified the strategy for accessibility for the hearing. A dedicated hearing-aid setup flow from the Accessibility settings, a simple method to route audio to various outputs, and the ability to rapidly access hearing-aid controls via a shortcut are just a few of the more user-friendly ways to connect to and interact with your hearing aids in Android 14.
In a similar vein, not all of our consumers consistently respond well to notification noises, ringtones, or alerts. The Accessibility and Notifications settings on Android 14 allow you to enable “Flash notifications” so that when you receive incoming alerts, a visual light flashes.
Pixel Devices Eligible for Android 14
The following Pixel devices are eligible for Android 14 OTA updates and downloads:
- Pixel 4a (5G)
- Pixel 5 and 5a
- Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel Tablet
Later this year, Android 14 will be available on more of your owned smartphones from Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, iQOO, Sony, Tecno, and Sharp.
Related: Google Messages gets redesigned home screen for Android 14 Beta users
You may check and upgrade your Android version to get Android 14 over the air if you have a compatible Google Pixel smartphone. Most of the time, updating to Android 14 doesn’t require a complete data wipe, however, it is advised that you back up your data before doing so.
