This preliminary preview is indeed based on the beta version of the software and will be promptly updated once Android 14 goes officially official.
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Android 14: The new features at a glance
Android 14 isn’t that loaded with new features, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that every 9 out of 10 new features are mostly under-the-hood ones that app developers will be able to benefit from. Here’s an official list of what’s coming with Google’s latest Android flavor:
- Lock screen customization – Color, type, and size customization for the lock screen;
- Improved home screen customization – Better theming for the built-in Android customization;
- Improved accessibility – Non-linear font scaling, gendered grammatical inflection API, per-app language preferences, regional preferences, custom sharing actions for apps;
- HDR video capture – The Camera2 API now supports the capture of stunning HDR video;
- Custom back gesture with animations – Android 14 has a predictive back gesture that will show you where you’ll end up;
- Better third-party app stores – Android embraces custom app stores by providing an API that allows these to provide a better user experience;
- Privacy-preserving screenshot detection API – Android 14 will detect when the user takes a screenshot.
Android 14: Personal impressions
While Android 14 is an incremental yearly software update, it does have a few notable new features that I loved.
There are a few available clock styles, as well as around a dozen color options, and while not endless, the customization options are more than enough in terms of quality and quantity to satisfy even the most addicted users.
Another major improvement that comes with Android 14 (and will likely end up in a future version of iOS) is the ability to customize the left and right lock screen shortcuts. Finally! No longer are you constrained by the undoubtedly useful flashlight and camera shortcuts! Currently available are shortcuts for flashlight, camera, device controls, Do Not Disturb, Mute, QR code scanner, video recording, and Wallet. Custom shortcuts are unsupported as of now, I’d have loved a bit more flexibility in terms of what you can set.
Android 14: Have we hit a feature plateau?
Ah, the age-old question that raises from the dead around the release of a new Android or iOS version. And there’s always reasons to consider that, why, yes, we’ve actually hit a plateau and are never getting any exciting new features. Don’t fret, that’s not the case. Then again, there are likely tons upon tons of features and functionalities envisioned for the future of Android––and iOS, for that matter, the latter even more so.
While Android 13 and Android 14 both go lighter on the amount of major redesigns and new features, we shouldn’t forget that the previous version, Android 12, was the one that introduced the major “Material You” redesign.
It’s logical to assume that the next couple of updates will iron out the kinks and fix all the shortcomings and bugs introduced by this redesign, so it’s natural for Android 13 and Android 14 to be a bit less exciting in comparison.
Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
