It was only 5 months ago when we told you that Android updates would be easier to install on devices. This week, Google unveiled the developer preview of Android 14, its next operating system. In its blog, Google says that Android 14 “builds on the work done in Android 12L and 13 to support tablets and foldable devices.”
The company mentions several of the tools that developers will be able to use to ensure that their apps work correctly “everywhere Android runs”. Google has also taken the opportunity to update and expand the documentation available for devices with larger and foldable screens.
The company’s release states that their goal with Android 14 is to “ensure that Android users can tailor their experience around their individual needs,” so they will include “greater accessibility and internationalization features”.
Among the reported features are the ability to scale font sizes to 200% (previously it was 130%), but avoiding oversized text (something that could complicate the lives of app developers), and an improved per-app language system, which will help developers who implement gender-marked languages (such as Spanish) in their apps.
At the moment, not much more is known about what features Android 14 will have when it comes out for users, as well as the release date itself, although the Google blog informs developers that changes to its API should be finished in June and that the official release would be “several weeks” later, so we could see it in August or September.
Those who want to try this preview and have a Google Pixel 4a or higher can do so now by downloading the system image from their device, but only if they have unlocked the phone’s booloader and have flashed the ROM. Since this is a developer version, we do not encourage ordinary users to perform this process, as it carries serious risks to the device, including the possibility of bricking it.
Google’s announcement comes at the same time as that of its new AI: Bard, based on the LaMDA language system. An artificial intelligence that has gotten off to a bad start, making a mistake that has cost Alphabet, Google’s parent company, millions of dollars.
