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Android 14 is the fourteenth major Android release of the Android operating system. It came out to the public on October 4, 2023, alongside the Google Pixel 8 Series and Google Pixel Watch 2. The stable version of Android 14 was supposed to come out in September since it approached platform stability before that during the Beta phase but was pushed back to October.
The Pixel 8 brings several refinements to the hardware. Both come with a $100 higher price tag than last year, but there’s new hardware. The Pixel 8 moves to a much brighter display with 120Hz, and there’s a new sensor for the wide-angle. Both phones get the Tensor G3 chip too.
The Pixel 8 Pro has some exclusive software features. You can upload a video to the cloud, and Google will process it for you and improve the result. It also has some Pro video shooting options, but only the Pro gets the 5X telephoto.
The hardware for the ultra-wide sensor is also better than the base Pixel, and the Pro also has autofocus for the front camera. There’s not much new with the Pixel Watch 2 except for a new SOC and theoretically higher battery life.
These phones launch with Android 14 out of the box and will get support for seven years. Google promises seven full years of major OS and security updates until Android 21.
For older Pixels, the Android 14 software brings multiple changes and refinements to the Android operating system. These recent changes give a fresh look to the UI and enhance user experience. Some notable features and changes Google brought to Android 14 are as follows:
- Lossless USB audio: Lossless USB audio allows the users to enjoy high-quality audio playback without any compression.
- Per-app languages: Android 14 allows users to set different languages for different apps.
- Predictive back gesture: Predictive back gesture is a new feature in Android 14 that predicts where the user will go next and preloads that screen for a more enhanced look.
- Lock screen customization: More first-party wallpapers, new Lock Screen quick actions, and clock fonts. You also get wallpapers generated by AI.
- Camera features: You can digitize your documents with a first-party document scanner; there’s support for Ultra HDR photos, better low-light imagery, and in-sensor zoom on supported models.
These were just a handful of changes Google has brought with this update. The update has also started rolling out for Pixel devices paired with the October 2023 Security patch. Initially, Google was supposed to launch these updates on the first of every Monday of every month. However, the updates aren’t hitting that target anymore.
Beginning this month, Google will no longer have a strict monthly schedule of software updates, and we’ll get updates when they’re ready. This ensures that Google has enough time to optimize them properly. If you didn’t get the update, you can manually download the factory image.
