Google made the Android 14 Developer Preview (DP) available for testing on devices from the Pixel 7, Pixel 6, and Pixel 5 series, even the rudimentary Pixel 4a. A new DP edition is expected to be published in March, followed by a few beta releases until the summer, when more stable and feature-rich versions will be issued, and finally the final Android 14 release in the fall.
New Android 14 features
Speaking of new Android 14 features, as usual in the Developer Preview stage, there aren’t many user-facing ones, but rather deep under-the-hood changes that bring interface speed and power-draw optimizations, as well as security and privacy upgrades. Still, there is one biggie one it comes to new Android 14 feature that you will immediately notice.
System fonts
Bigger fonts with non-linear scaling is exactly what Google refers it as this new Android 14 option as. Instead of the current 130% threshold, Android phone owners will be able to increase the size of the system fonts by two times.
It makes sense considering that screens are growing bigger and bigger—we now have foldables with screens north of 7 inches diagonal and difficult-to-read small print. Without a doubt, Google uses “non-linear” scaling to raise text in fonts that are already sufficiently large compared to the smaller text that receives a size increase, rather than simply increasing the font size of Android 14 in a way that is deserving of the list of the best phones for seniors.
Performance and battery life
Android 14 will optimize the speed of the mobile OS system overall and offer less of a power pull from unnecessary activities thanks to a clever combination of background process optimization and presenting actionable requests to apps only when they are out of a cached state.
Additionally, without the user’s express consent, apps that don’t need a strict timing schedule, such clocks or calendars, won’t be able to continuously probe for resources by setting precise alarms.
Adapting to foreign language
With Android 14, a number of foreign language optimizations address the accessibility issues of the device by modifying the text to reflect the peculiarities of non-English speakers, such as tailored translations that take into account the different grammatical genders used in various languages.
The ability to dynamically update the list of foreign languages in an app’s settings to reflect the location and even alter the keyboard based on the interface language that the app is displaying in is another fantastic locale adaption improvement in Android 14.
Security and privacy
Down on the system level, Android 14 will include several new malware-fighting features that plug known exploits by blocking app installations or only allow them if they meet certain criteria.
Dynamically loaded applications that can be changed by injecting code in the process will be marked to be read-only in Android 14 in order to close another door for the installation of malware and various exploits.
Android 14 release date
- Android 14 Beta: April 2023
- Final Android 14 release build: October-November 2023
How to install Android 14 Developer Preview on Pixel phones
- Flash an Android 14 system image on a Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 5, or Pixel 4a (5G) phone.
- Install the 64-bit Android 14 system images with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
