There is a rather regular rhythm to Google’s development of the Android cycle these days. After These days, the Android development process works on a cadence that is very predictable thanks to Google.
Today, the firm unveiled the initial of four public beta versions that are planned for Android 14, following two developer previews earlier this week.
The first beta, just like previous releases, is also an initial release that anyone may install over the air, provided that they have a compatible Pixel smartphone, which includes devices as old as the Pixel 4a 5G but does not include the Pixel 4.
There is currently no official assistance for phones that are not made by Google.
Bear in mind, as always, that these are called betas for a particular reason, and that they are still primarily intended for programmers who are interested in testing their applications against the new version, as well as early adopters who just are eagerly awaiting the final release.
Things can and will break. It’s just a fact of life.
This beta version does not include a significant number of new features; nonetheless, there are two modifications to the user interface that are noteworthy and should be highlighted.
The first change is an updated version of the back button (yeah, we have reached a stage in the evolution of mobile operating systems when updated versions of the back button are essentially the most fascinating thing).
According to Google, the gesture navigational experience has been updated to feature a more noticeable back arrow while engaging with an app. This change was made to assist in improving the understanding of the back gesture as well as its usefulness.
This arrow will be styled to fit the background or theme of your device. This is quite exciting.
Additionally, developers will now have the ability to incorporate user-defined functions into the system share sheet, as well as the share sheet itself will be able to more intelligently prioritize your sharing targets.
Aside than that, this doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. Per-app language controls are now available, as are Google’s newly introduced privacy settings, which were previously disclosed.
At the Google I/O conference that will take place in one month, I anticipate that we will learn a little bit more about what’s new in Android 14, as well as see more features that are geared toward the end user. However, it seems that this is just another evolutionary update for the time being.
