The Android 14 beta program is well underway, with Google preparing for its big release at the end of summer 2023. Right now, we’re looking at Android 14 Beta 4, which is the latest available release. We’re still at least one month away from the final version, and in the meantime, there are tons of new features to dig through and discover before the stable version will come to all the latest and greatest Android phones.
If you want a full rundown of what’s new and what’s to be expected in Android 14, read on — there is a lot, and it’s certainly a bigger update than Android 13, though it still doesn’t compare to Android 12, which introduced Google whole new Material You design language.
Android 14 timeline, potential release date, and supported devices
Android 14 follows a similar roadmap as previous releases. As you can see in the timeline shared by Google below, we’re looking at two developer previews, with the first released in February and the second released in March. On April 12, Google released the first beta, with a follow-up Beta 1.1 release just two weeks later. Historically, the company has always held back some of the most interesting consumer-facing changes for the release that ties in with its developer conference on May 10, Google I/O, which was indeed the case. There were a handful of announcements on stage, detailing some exciting new things coming to Android 14. There were also some bug-fixing releases in the meantime, like Beta 2.1 on May 25.
In June, the roadmap shows that Android 14 reached platform stability with the third beta. This means that developers can program their apps using the new features and APIs introduced in Android 14 without having to worry about any further changes ahead of the release. A fourth beta arrived in July, and sometime after that, the stable release will follow. If history is any indication, we’re likely looking at an August or September release.The following Google Pixel devices are compatible with the beta program:
- Pixel Tablet
- Pixel Fold
- Pixel 7a
- Pixel 7 & 7 Pro
- Pixel 6a
- Pixel 6 & 6 Pro
- Pixel 5a 5G
- Pixel 5
- Pixel 4a 5G
The recently released Google Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, and Pixel Fold are part of the beta program of Android 14 Beta 3 for the former and Beta 4 for the last two. On the other end of the lineup, the Google Pixel 4a without the 5G denominator isn’t getting any beta releases. Since it launched with Android 10, it isn’t guaranteed to get any update beyond Android 13 as per Google’s promise of three software upgrades, and it doesn’t look like it will get Android 14.
As usual, the developer preview and initial beta builds were restricted to the Google Pixel phone lineup. More phones from other manufacturers joined the beta program after Google I/O, as has been the case for the last few Android releases. These are the devices that you can currently get the Android 14 Beta on, though based on our hands-on experience with them, you’re better off not installing Android 14 on them until it’s more stable:
- iQOO 11
- Lenovo Tab Extreme
- Nothing Phone 1
- OnePlus 11
- Oppo Find N2 Flip
- Realme GT2 Pro
- Tecno Camon 20 Series
- Vivo X90 Pro
- Xiaomi 13 Pro
- Xiaomi 13
- Xiaomi 12
Google has also released generic system images (GSIs), which you can install on any phone that supports Project Treble. Be sure you know exactly how to install an Android beta before you consider that route, though.
After the beta testing is finished, we expect Android 14 to become available on all recent Android phones and flagship phones from the last few years. The rollout may take longer than a few months, depending on your manufacturer. Samsung’s phones are usually updated pretty quickly, within a few months after the stable release, but the same can’t be said for Asus, Motorola, and more.
What’s new in Android 14 Beta 4
Google released Android 13 Beta 4 on July 11, right in the midst of Amazon’s Prime Day shopping event. Barring any point releases for further bug fixes, this is supposed to be the last beta before Android 14 goes stable, likely in August or September at the latest. There are a few more tweaks that make the new version of the OS ready for prime time, so let’s dive right in.
Android 14’s Easter egg is finally here
Every Android version has a little Easter egg hidden in system settings, and this is also true for Android 14. True to the Apollo 14-inspired logo for this release, the Easter egg has you launch a rocket, flying through the vast emptiness of space with the option to explore stars, planets, and more. It’s a fun little mini-game that you should definitely try out when you can get your hands on Android 14.
Like in previous releases, you can access it by opening system settings and heading to About phone → Android version and repeatedly and quickly tapping the Android version entry. You then need to long-press the Android 14 logo for a while to launch the rocket, complete with haptic feedback.
Android 14 Beta 4 adds a new status bar icon for silent mode
Google loves to switch up things in the status bar at the top of your phone’s screen and in the notification shade with every new Android release, and the same is true for Android 14. Rather than a crossed-out bell icon, you now see a crossed-out speaker icon in the status bar when you turn on silent mode. This is in line with a previous tweak in Android 14, which made the same icon switch in the volume rocker interface.
Android 14 Beta 4 makes PIN entry slightly faster
Many Android phones support unlocking your device instantly when you enter the correct PIN without having to hit an extra enter button. Google is finally bringing this same capability to Pixel phones. When you have a PIN that has six digits or more, an option becomes available in system settings under Security & privacy → Device unlock → screen lock cog, making it possible to turn on Auto-confirm unlock. If you first set up a six-digit PIN, the option is ticked on by default, though you can uncheck it if you prefer not to show a thief how many digits your PIN has.
With the tweak enabled, you will see outlines on your PIN entry screen indicating how many digits you have to type, with the enter button gone in the keyboard. The outlines fill up as you hit the keys. When you enter a wrong digit on the last outline, the entry field will clear instantly and make you fully repeat your PIN.
Android 14 Beta 4 brings back a more familiar themed icon style
Android 13 Beta 3 made some tweaks to the way themed icons are displayed, using more of your themed colour for the background than before. Many people didn’t like how that reduced contrast in dark mode in particular, and with Beta 4, Google has further tweaked the design to make the icons more in line with their design in Android 13 again.
Android 14 adds new default profile images
If you share your device with multiple people (which might very well be the case for the Pixel Tablet, for example), you need to switch between different profiles. You can either use your own images to personalize them, or you can rely on Android 14’s snazzy new collection of default images, .
Android 14 helps you find out when your phone was manufactured
A small but possibly welcome change in the settings app is related to the date when your phone was manufactured. As spotted by Mishaal Rahman, you can now see which year your phone was made under Settings → About phone → Model. This same detail is embedded in your device’s serial number, which is also where the date is derived from, according to Mishaal Rahman.
Android 14 Beta 4 brings home screen customization to older Pixel phones
Home screen customization options like the ability to set different lock screen shortcuts or different clocks, were inexplicably missing from Pixel phones older than the Pixel 6. Android 14 Beta 4 changes that, with multiple owners confirming in that they now have the option to do just that.
What’s new in Android 14 Beta 3
After a small bug-fixing update in the form of Android 14 Beta 2.1 in late May, Google released Android 14 Beta 3 on June 7, 2023, well within its schedule. The new release adds a few of the announcements that Google made at its developer conference I/O 2023, but there are also a ton more interface changes and features to be found that Google hadn’t talked about just yet.
Android 14 makes your lock screen customizable
Apple offers highly customizable lock screens on iOS 16, and it was clear that Google would have to provide an answer to this at some point. With Android 14, that’s the case. In Android 14 Beta 3, the company makes it possible to switch out the default lock screen clock for a variety of different options. On top of that, you can choose a more complex interface that rearranges the other data on your lock screen like the current weather conditions and the date. Strangely enough, Mishaal Rahman reports that the customization options aren’t available on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. We can only hope that this is due to a bug.
With Android 14, it will also finally be possible to switch to different quick action buttons at the bottom if you don’t care for home automatization or Google Wallet. You can decide whether you want to quickly access the QR code scanner, the flashlight, Do Not Disturb or Mute, the photo or video camera, or nothing at all if you prefer a cleaner look. To trigger the actions, you now have to long-press the buttons, similar to how it’s done on iOS. Speaking of similarities: You can access the customization options by long-pressing the home screen, which is also something that Apple added to its operating system a while ago.
Android 14 offers new gesture navigation tutorials
Gesture navigation is still new to many users, and the navigation system is only getting more complicated on the upcoming Google Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet with their taskbar. It’s likely that the two additions to Google’s lineup are the reason why the company decided to redo its gesture navigation tutorial on phones, which is now also accessible via system settings.
There is nothing astounding or groundbreaking about the new tutorials, but they are sure nice to look at, and it’s good to have them in system settings in case you ever need a refresher.
Android 14 brings back the clock shortcut in the notification shade
Google likes to tweak the notification shade with each of its Android updates, and the same is true for Android 14. The company is turning the clock in the top left corner into a tappable section, allowing you to quickly jump into the Clock app without forcing you to clutter your home screen with yet another icon or widget. The functionality is coming and going in Android, and it was last removed in Android 12 after it was available on Pixel phones on Android 11.
Android 14 flips on Material Design 3 toggles
Material You is part of Material Design 3, which isn’t only about colours and wallpaper-generated themes. The new iteration of Google’s design language also adds tweaks to other interface elements, and among them is the trusty toggle. This new toggle design has made its way to the settings app with Android 14 Beta 3, completing the Material You Look just a little more.
Android 14 Beta 3 changes Material You icons and colour palette
Google isn’t done tweaking Material You and themed icons. In a somewhat controversial move, the company made themed icons pull more intense colours with slightly less contrast between the foreground and background. Some coloured interface elements also look different following the update, though the difference is harder to spot than the themed icons. It’s possible that Google still reverses course on this as some beta testers have already provided negative feedback on this.
Android 14 adds a prominent charging indicator to the status bar
Android 14 Beta 3 introduces a new charging animation when you plug in your phone. It retains the particle animation of old, but it also adds a pill-shaped background behind the battery indicator, making it even clearer that your phone is getting juiced up. The new design should make it easier to see at a glance that you’ve properly plugged your device in and that it’s charging. The look and feel is similar to how the camera and microphone usage indicators work.
Android 14 Beta 3 adds emoji wallpapers for some
During Google I/O, the company teased and demoed new customizable emoji wallpapers. On Android 14 Beta 3, these are live for some people. The Pixel Emoji Workshop, as it’s officially called, is rolling out via a hidden app update from the Play Store. It allows you to create your own custom emoji wallpapers with different patterns, sizes, colours, and of course emoji available for you to play with.
Google has also added delightful animations when you unlock your phone, tap anywhere on the home screen, or when you plug in your phone to charge it. The company announced that emoji wallpapers would roll out to Pixel users in the summer, so it’s likely coming to Android 13, too. We suspect that it might launch alongside the June Feature Drop which is still missing in action.
Android 14 will offer AI-generated wallpapers — eventually
At Google I/O, the company announced that on Android 14, you will be able to use AI to generate wallpapers. That’s on top of features like cinematic wallpapers (which are still missing) and emoji backgrounds.
The feature uses Google’s text-to-image diffusion model, allowing you to create background art by simply stating what you would like to see and which style it should follow. This is probably the most prominent generative AI feature to come to Android itself yet, but it’s still missing in action on Android 14 Beta 3.
Everything else we know about Android 14 so far
Other than the details Google shared about the developer preview above, we’ve learned a few more things about the upcoming Android release. That’s because Android is an open-source project at its core, and Google needs to tweak some of the underlying code to make future features happen. The company also announced a few features ahead of time in other circumstances. In addition to that, there are also some leaks from various sources. With this out of the way, here is what we’ve learned so far.
Android 14’s internal code name is the only U dessert anyone could think of
All Android versions have fun codenames attached to them, following an alphabetical order. Google may not use them publicly for marketing anymore as it did in the past, but internally, these codes are still in use. With Android 13, known as Tiramisu, we all know that U is the next letter in the alphabet. As such, Google is going with the only obvious choice and calls its new baby “Android 14 Upside Down Cake.” It feels a bit like cheating, but here we are.
Android 14 will have a satellite connectivity option that’s similar to the iPhone 14
Apple has released a bunch of iPhones with emergency satellite connectivity. Google’s Hiroshi Lockheimer has confirmed that Android will offer the same technology, saying he is excited to be “enabling all of this in the next version of Android!” Qualcomm modems will likely be first in line to offer support for this, as the Snapdragon manufacturer announced satellite support for its chips during its IFA 2022 keynote.
Bluetooth could learn to measure distances
Bluetooth is a versatile standard that revolutionized how we use wireless accessories like some of the best earbuds. In Android 14, the connectivity protocol might become even more useful. As spotted in the AOSP, Google is working on a new Bluetooth Distance Measurement API that would make it easier to find misplaced accessories. While it’s not as accurate as ultra wide-band (UWB), it could tell you if you’re moving closer or further away from a given connected Bluetooth device.
It’s possible that this API could also power Google’s upcoming Watch Unlock mechanism, which would keep your phone unlocked as long as your favourite smartwatch is close by.
The share menu could become independent of system updates
Android 14 might decouple the share menu from the system and turn it into an independently-updated Project Mainline module. This would allow the company to push new versions of the component without a full system update. In the long term, this would mean that changes to the share sheet would arrive on all Android phones running Android 14 and higher. The change might be bitterly needed as the share sheet has become one of Android’s weak spots with much room for improvement.
In Android 14 Developer Preview 1, a new, decoupled share sheet is already present, . It looks exactly like the one you know right now, and it isn’t activated by default just yet, but it’s clear that Google is working on it.
Some devices might go 64-bit only
The Google Pixel Tablet is already rumoured to offer a 64-bit-only build of Android 13, and the same might be the case for many phones and tablets launching with Android 14. Based on documentation in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), devices that come with ARM v9 processor cores will have to go 64-bit only on the upcoming version of Android. With 2021’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 switching to the v9 architecture, we expect all upcoming flagship phones and tablets to become 64-bit only sooner rather than later.
Other changes we may see on Android 14
Some more features were spotted ahead of the Android 14 release:
- Android 14 could introduce support for NTFS, the proprietary file format developed by Microsoft. It’s used on many external hard drives that are formatted for Windows, and Android could benefit greatly from supporting it.
- The efficient AV1 video codec could become mandatory on Android 14. It allows devices to save bandwidth without losing image and audio quality. The format is used by YouTube in certain circumstances, so having all devices support it in the long term is great news for your data plan.
Get the Android 14 Beta right now
Android 14 is available for download for everyone. You can simply opt into beta testing via the Android Beta Program, and you’ll get a normal system update like you know from normal Android releases. Of course, you can still learn how to manually install the Android 14 Beta on your Pixel phone, if that’s your jam.
Keep in mind that the software isn’t as stable as a finalized release, so you should only install it when you have a spare phone or when you’re okay with not being able to use your phone due to bugs.