Although Android 14 may appear to be an incremental version, it has all the necessary improvements.
In February 2023, Google released the first Android 14 developer preview. Since then, the OS has seen a number of development and beta releases aimed at boosting general stability and fixing bugs.
In October 2023, Android 14 is finally prepared for distribution to the general public. In order to provide a better experience, it introduces a number of behavioral and privacy-related modifications. The top new Android 14 features that will be available on your phone are listed below.
1. Lock Screen Customization
The ability to personalize the lock screen is one of Android 14’s most major user-facing features. To change the appearance, you may change the clock’s style, shortcut, typeface, and background.
Therefore, you may set your favorite emojis as the wallpaper for your phone’s home screen while using a different picture for the lock screen. There are many various clock designs to choose from, and you may even utilize a clock in a different color or size.
The lock screen customisation in Android 14 appears to be influenced by iOS 16. Although Google’s execution is effective, it falls well short of what Apple provides on its iPhones and iPads. Widget placement on the lock screen of your Pixel is still not possible, however this may change in a later Android version. Additionally, Google need to provide a Photo Shuffle option like to the iOS Lock Screen.
2. Flash Notifications
Support for flash notifications is one of Android 14’s key new accessibility features. You may set up flash notifications to receive a visual cue if you find it difficult to tell when your phone is calling.
You may choose to have the camera or screen flash whenever a new notification or alarm goes off by going to Settings > Accessibility > Flash notifications.
3. Automatic PIN Confirmation
When setting up a new device running Android 14, the OS will actively encourage you to set a 6-digit PIN. This was already possible on Android 13—it’s just that the OS now pushes you to use the most secure option.
Additionally, your phone will immediately unlock itself when the proper PIN has been entered. No Enter key will be required to signal your intent. Keep in mind that providing a PIN with six digits or more is the only requirement for using the auto-PIN confirmation.
Don’t be concerned about what will happen if you forget the six-digit PIN; there are ways to reset the passcode on your Android phone.
4. Health Connect Integration
With built-in Health Connect support, Android 14 makes it simple to share your fitness statistics with other applications. It serves as a central repository for all of your health information, such as your heart rate, number of steps walked, number of calories burnt, etc.
This information is available through Health Connect to third-party applications, and you can control it all from a single spot to prevent data exploitation. For reasons of privacy, your phone is securely encrypted with all the health indicators that you have collected.
On the Play Store, Health Connect was already a standalone application. However, Google has integrated it directly into the OS as of Android 14. On your Pixel phone running Android 14, go to Settings > Privacy to see Health Connect.
5. Non-Linear Text Scaling
Non-linear text scaling is an important new accessibility feature in Android 14. The font size may now be increased by 200 percent without cutting off UI components or seeming out of place because the scaling is non-linear. People with visual problems should benefit from this visible accessibility feature.
Non-linear text scaling may be a crucial new accessibility feature if you currently use TalkBack on your Android phone.
6. Custom Actions in Share Sheet
Google now lets third-party apps add unique actions to the native share sheet in Android 14. As a result, developers won’t need to create their own unique implementation in order to use the OS’s native share sheet. The share sheet’s top will display all devoted app operations.
This modification will result in a much improved user experience because the share menu is a crucial component of Android.
Android 14 Packs a Lot More Features
Only the most notable new features of Android 14 are included in the list above. There are some further modifications that you might not notice right away but which will improve the user experience. This adds lossless music playback over USB, updated camera extensions for in-sensor zoom and low-light settings, and native support for 10-bit Ultra HDR photographs when shooting pictures.
You can take use of all the new features in Android 14 if you have a Pixel phone that is compatible. However, your manufacturer could take some of the functionality away from non-Pixel devices as part of its skin.