Discover the Latest Features in Android 14 Update: What's New?
Android 14, the latest version of the popular mobile operating system, has been released and it comes packed with a host of new features and changes. In this article, we will take a closer look at these features and changes and what they mean for app developers. In this article we'll understand all changes and improvements of Android 14 Update News.
List of changes and improvement of Android 14 Update News
User Experience Changes
Android 14 introduces several user experience changes that affect all apps. One of the most notable changes is the ability for users to dismiss non-dismissable foreground notifications. This change gives users more control over their device and allows them to manage notifications more effectively.
Another change that affects visual media permissions introduced in Android 13 is the ability for users to grant partial access to their photos and videos. This means that users can now give an app permission to access certain visual media without granting access to all of their photos and videos.
Improvements for App Stores
Android 14 introduces several new PackageInstaller APIs that allow app stores to improve their user experience. These APIs allow app stores to install apps without requiring user interaction, and also provide progress updates to the user during installation.
Screenshot Detection
Android 14 also introduces a new privacy-preserving API that invokes a callback and displays a toast message when the user takes a screenshot while an app activity is visible. This feature is particularly useful for apps that handle sensitive information and want to ensure that user data remains secure.
Security Changes
The Android 14 Update News is something that many people are eagerly anticipating. Android 14 comes with several security changes that affect all apps, including those that are specifically targeting Android 14 or higher. For example, apps with a targetSdkVersion lower than 23 can no longer be installed on Android 14. Additionally, the value of OWNER_PACKAGE_NAME is redacted unless apps meet certain conditions, making it more difficult for potential attackers to access sensitive information. Overall, the Android 14 update includes important security improvements that will help protect users' devices and data.
Apps targeting Android 14 are also subject to restrictions on implicit and pending intents, and runtime-registered broadcasts receivers must specify export behavior. Safer dynamic code loading is also enforced, and apps that target Android 14 must opt in if they want to grant their background activity launch privileges to another app.
Non-SDK Interface Restrictions
Android 14 includes updated lists of restricted non-SDK interfaces based on collaboration with Android developers and the latest internal testing. This change ensures that apps are not using non-SDK interfaces that could compromise security.
Internationalization Changes
Android 14 expands on the per-app language features that were introduced in Android 13, allowing apps to receive notifications when a user changes their regional preferences and mirror these preferences in-app. The Grammatical Infection API also allows developers to more easily add support for users who speak languages that have grammatical gender.
Core Functionality Changes
Android 14 also includes several changes to core functionality that affect all apps. For example, apps can now only kill their own background processes when using the killBackgroundProcesses() API. Additionally, the SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM permission is no longer pre-granted to most newly-installed apps targeting Android 13 and higher, and context-registered broadcasts are queued while apps are cached.
Accessibility Changes
Finally, Android 14 introduces non-linear font scaling to 200%, providing low-vision users with additional accessibility options that align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It's also recommended that developers test their apps with non-linear font scaling to ensure that their apps can accommodate larger font sizes without impacting usability.
These Devices Can Check Android 14 Preview
If you are an Android enthusiast or a developer looking to test the latest version of Android, you'll be happy to hear that the Android 14 Developer Preview is now available for select Google Pixel devices. As per the Android 14 update news, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5 and 5a, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, and Pixel 7 and 7 Pro devices are eligible for the update. The Android 14 Developer Preview offers a glimpse into the new features and improvements that will be available in the upcoming version of Android. However, as with any developer preview, it's important to note that the software may have bugs and is not intended for daily use. So, if you do decide to install the Android 14 Developer Preview on your Pixel device, make sure to back up your data and use it with caution.