Yesterday’s Made by Google event on October 4th surprised many. Beyond announcing the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, which many of us thought would be the main focus, Google also unveiled its highly anticipated new mobile operating system: Android 14.
While we already knew many of the features that Android 14 would include thanks to the developer previews and betas released in recent months, we now finally know all the major updates of this operating system, already available for certain Google devices.
Firstly, concerning the user experience, Android 14 offers something entirely new in line with the latest technology trends: AI-generated wallpapers. And not only that, it also includes passkeys for third-party apps, a login security system that Google aims to standardize.
Android 14 also brings several enhancements to the camera app, such as compatibility with high-quality Ultra HDR images, improved low-light photos on compatible phones, and zoom on the sensor that allows zooming in and out without loss of quality in some third-party apps. Additionally, it includes a feature that enables scanning physical documents using the device’s camera.
The new Google operating system stands out in accessibility, offering larger fonts (with scaling up to 200%) for people with vision problems, a notification system that uses the camera flash for people with hearing impairments, the option to zoom in on all apps by pinching the screen, and many more customization settings for hearing aids.
Among the many privacy and security innovations, the device will now alert you to any changes in third-party apps’ personal data sharing practices, includes stricter app permissions, allows you to disable 2G connectivity, and all mobile connections will be encrypted by default.
At the moment, Android 14 is only compatible with Pixel phones ranging from 4A to 8 Pro, as well as Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. Versions of Android 14 for mobile devices from other manufacturers will be released in late 2023.
