These are days of some importance for Google and for the entire Android community. Big G has in fact presented its new smartphones (Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro), the Pixel Watch 2 and also new colors of the Buds Pro earphones. And then, it announced – with a little delay – the debut of Android 14.
Android 14: the most important news of the major update
«Android 14 is here, and it’s packed with updates that help you personalize your device experience, give you more control over your health and safety, and improve accessibility», writes Google in its press release.
Greater customization
In most cases, smartphones are an extension of the owner user’s personality and Android 14 points precisely in this direction. With the new version of the green robot’s operating system, it is easier to switch between backgrounds, set shortcuts for the lock screenchoose from new models and change fonts, widgets, colors and formats.
And there is also the hand ofgenerative artificial intelligencewhich is capable of create wallpapers in no time based on textual input. This feature will be available immediately follows the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Prothen it will also be extended to other Google smartphones.
And again, Google has also thought about monochromatic themesideal for those users who aim for absolute linearity.
Ultra HDR
Android 14 supports images with Ultra HDR, which helps photos look their best by bringing out vibrant colors, even brighter highlights, and darker shadows. On smartphones equipped with HDR screens, Ultra HDR takes photos in high definition without altering the original image quality.
Health, safety and data
Health Connect it is integrated into the operating system settings as a tool for store user data in one placeso as to offer them full control of their own privacy. The data is then encrypted on the smartphone and this makes it impossible to read, even for Google. To achieve this new level of security, simply synchronize your health and physical activity monitoring apps with the tool.
Android 14 also introduces new updates regarding data sharing. For each individual app, the user is asked to grant permission to share information (location, for example) and receives a notification every time an app wants to share it with third parties.
There are also news for PIN, with the possibility of setting a 6-digit one. Once you have typed the correct one, it will no longer be necessary to press “enter” because the Android device will unlock automatically.
Android 14 is already available
The update (which also includes other new features, all of which can be consulted here) it is already available for Google Pixel 4a 5G and later models, Google Pixel Fold and Google Pixel Tablet. By the end of 2023 it will also be installable on several smartphones from other brands, such as Samsung, Nothing, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme and Xiaomi.