The coolest thing about a major Android update is being able to follow a pattern to experience all the new features. Google’s Android 12 update marks the biggest visual redesign of the operating system since Android 5 Lollipop thanks to Material You. The new design philosophy, along with the full list of new features, makes Android 12 look and feel completely different from previous versions. Then Android 13 came along and duplicated many of the same aesthetic choices. We’re now migrating to Android 14, and there’s likely to be even more profound changes coming.
The first beta of Android 14 hasn’t arrived yet, but we already have some hints about what to expect in the future. Each new release adds new features and smaller improvements to different components of the Android system. In the coming months, the first developer previews are expected to come to all supported Pixel devices and some other non-Pixel phones. If you want to know all there is to know about Android 14 in one place, then you have come to the right page.
What is Android 14 called?
Google dropped its Android 10 dessert naming scheme two years ago with a rebranding of Android 10. However, the use of the dessert name continued for the company’s internal development teams. For instance, Android 11 is called Red Velvet, while Android 12 is called Snow Cone. Similarly, Android 13 is called Tiramisu. Google hasn’t kept Android 14 a secret anymore since it was found in one of AOSP Gerrit’s commits last July.
For those of you curious, here are the dessert names (internal or public) of all Android versions so far:
- Android 1.5: Pancakes
- Android 1.6: Donuts
- Android 2.0: Eclair
- Android 2.2: Froyo
- Android 2.3: Gingerbread
- Android 3.0: Honeycomb
- Android 4.0: Ice cream sandwich
- Android 4.1: Jelly Beans
- Android 4.4: KitKat
- Android 5.0: Lollipop
- Android 6.0: Marshmallow
- Android 7.0: Marshmallow
- Android 8.0: Oreo
- Android 9: Cake
- Android 10: Quince Tart
- Android 11: Red Velvet Cake
- Android 12: Snow Cone
- Android 13: Tiramisu
- Android 14: Upside Down Cake
There’s no release date for Android 14 yet, but we suspect it will follow the same release cadence as previous years. Android 13 launched as a developer preview in February 2022, followed by another developer preview followed by four other beta releases until the release of Android 13. the end of Android 13. Then, we can expect that the first developer preview for Android 14 will be out around the same time.
For developers, you could see Android 14 reach “platform stability” around the time of the third beta, if Google follows the same release timeline as last year. Platform stability refers to API finalization, and last year coincided with the ability for developers to submit new API-level targeting apps on the Google Play store.
Will my device get Android 14?
If you have a recent Google Pixel smartphone, such as the new Pixel 7 series, rest assured that you’ll be among the first to get a taste of Android 14 when it launches. It will still be in developer preview only (and therefore may not be installed on your daily driver), but you can still try it out. We also expect other device makers to join the fun, although it tends to be the case that devices from places like OnePlus and Xiaomi don’t get updates as often. In other words, be careful.
However, if you really If you want to try Android 14 when it arrives on your smartphone and there is no official build available, you can try the Generic System Image (GSI). We’ll be sure to update this with more information when the first developer preview drops.
What’s new in Android 14 so far?
While Android 14 isn’t here yet, we already know about two changes coming to the platform.
Say goodbye to Android Beam
Once deprecated in Android 10, Google will final is removing Android Beam from AOSP, according to a commit on Android Gerrit. Android Beam can be used to connect two devices to start transferring data easily. This feature has been replaced by Nearby Sharing, which basically works the same way, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.
The biggest problem, however, is that Nearby Sharing relies on Google Mobile Services (GMS), meaning that Google has essentially removed a feature from AOSP and hidden it behind a proprietary service. but Not part of the AOSP. This means that manufacturers that do not (or cannot, such as Huawei) join Google’s own license agreement for GMS will miss out on a feature.
Say hello via satellite
According to Google’s Senior Vice President of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, Android 14 will support satellite communications. He said that Google is “designing for satellites” and that the company is excited to assist partners “in enabling all of this in the next version of Android.” Under pressure from the likes of Apple, which also recently introduced satellite support for the iPhone 14 series, it seems like that’s the direction the industry is moving in.
Android 14: Not much so far
Android 14 is a long way off now, but we’ll likely hear more as we get closer to the first developer preview. We’ll hear about those changes through Android Gerrit or statements from Google and spokespersons. We’ll be sure to update this article as more information comes to light, and we’re looking forward to what the next version of the world’s largest operating system will bring next.
