While the operating system (OS) is out for beta testing, it still has a long way to go before making its way to the general public — possibly by August — and questions about what’s new are expected.
Here are some new features that Google is likely to bring to the Android 14 — internally dubbed ‘Upside Down Cake’.
Google is looking to include a new feature that will use screen flash and camera flash for notifications, especially for people with hearing disabilities. Users can pick and choose between them and even decide on the colour of the flash they want.
Google announced that it will be unveiling its first foldable Pixel ever, called the Pixel Fold, alongside Android 14. So, it makes sense for the company to help developers build apps that adapt to smartphones, foldables and tablets.
If you are uncomfortable with sharing your gallery access with certain apps, then Android 14 is likely to put your mind at ease. The OS update is said to give you the option to select specific media that you want the app to have access to.
In 2022, Google’s senior vice president for Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, tweeted that the next generation of Android will have satellite connectivity. “When we launched G1 (in 2008) it was a stretch to get 3G+WiFi working. Now we're designing for satellites,” he said.
With Android 14, when you want to back to the previous screen, you might be able to catch a glimpse of where you’re going before you land on that page. Right now, it's not always clear where a back swipe will take you.
People who want two WhatsApp accounts on one phone can also breathe a sigh of relief as Android 14 seems to be integrating app cloning into the system. Some smartphone makers already have this feature on the Android skin that they add on top.
Google’s Health Connect is an app to help you track all your fitness routines in one place — as Google Fit does currently — and there are rumours that it might come preinstalled on devices running on Android 14. The app is currently in beta testing.