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Google launched the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones at its Made by Google event, and it announced that the new smartphones will ship with Android 14. It also said the newest OS is starting to roll out to supported Pixel devices, and later this year will be available on smartphones from Samsung, iQoo, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo and Xiaomi.
“And starting today, Android 14 is here and it’s packed with updates that help you customise your device experience, give you more control over your health and safety and improve accessibility,” said Dave Burke, vice president of engineering at Android.
Updated customisation picker
Android 14 will come with an updated customisation picker that will allow users to more easily switch between wallpapers. Additionally, users can now set custom lock screen shortcuts, like QR reader or the Google Home app for quick access for controls that they use the most directly from Android lock screen.
Furthermore, there are new lock screen templates for fonts, widgets, colours and formats. Google says that these options also use AI to adjust the screen based on users’ situation. For example, if the weather is suddenly becoming worse, then your lock screen weather widget will become more prominent.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are also getting generative AI wallpapers that use text-to-image diffusion models to allow users create wallpapers. Android 14 will also come with a monochromatic theme. Android 14 also supports HDR images with Ultra HDR.
More control over security and data
Google’s Health Connect is now built into Android 14 settings as a central way to store data in one place. Users will also be able to see how their data is being used by apps. Android 14 will also notify users when an app is sharing location data with third parties.
Features users with special needs
Android 14 will come with an improved magnifier that is more intuitive with pinch to zoom in and out from 100%.
Android 14 will also enable hard of hearing users to connect and interact with hearing aids, such as a dedicated hearing-aid setup flow from Accessibility settings, “an easy way to route audio to different outputs and the ability to quickly access hearing aids controls from a shortcut.”
Android 14 will also allow users to turn on “Flash notifications” from the Accessibility and Notifications settings and get visual light flashes during incoming notifications.
Other features of Android 14 include automatic framing in video calls, one-tap access to Google Home controls, performance improvements and more.
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