Android 14 ‘Upside Down Cake’: Everything you should learn about Google’s massive replace for 2023

Essentially the most thrilling factor a few massive Android replace is having the ability to comply with a sample to get a style of all the brand new options. Google’s Android 12 replace marked the most important visible redesign of the working system since Android 5 Lollipop because of Material You. The brand new design philosophy, together with an exhaustive checklist of recent options, made Android 12 feel and appear radically completely different from earlier iterations. Android 13 then got here alongside and doubled down on lots of the identical aesthetic decisions. Now we’re transferring on to Android 14, and there’ll probably be much more under-the-hood modifications.

Android 14’s first beta hasn’t arrived but, however we have already got some hints about what to anticipate sooner or later. Every new launch will add new options and smaller enhancements to completely different components of the Android system. Within the coming months, the primary developer previews are anticipated to reach for all of the supported Pixel gadgets and another non-Pixel telephones. In order for you all there’s to learn about Android 14 in a single place; you then’ve come to the fitting web page.

What’s Android 14 known as?

Google ditched its dessert naming scheme for Android two years in the past with Android 10’s model redesign. Using dessert names, nevertheless, has continued for the corporate’s inside improvement groups. Android 11, as an illustration, was known as Pink Velvet, whereas Android 12 is called Snow Cone. Equally, Android 13 is named Tiramisu. Google is now not maintaining Android 14’s a secret because it was present in one of many AOSP Gerrit commits again in July final 12 months.

For these of you who’re curious, these have been the dessert names (inside or public) of all of the Android variations to this point:

• Android 1.5: Cupcake
• Android 1.6: Donut
• 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 Bean
• Android 4.4: KitKat
• Android 5.0: Lollipop
• Android 6.0: Marshmallow
• Android 7.0: Nougat
• Android 8.0: Oreo
• Android 9: Pie
• Android 10: Quince Tart
• Android 11: Pink Velvet Cake
• Android 12: Snow Cone
• Android 13: Tiramisu
• Android 14: Upside Down Cake

There is no such thing as a identified launch date for Android 14 but, however we suspect that it’s going to comply with the identical launch cadence as in earlier years. Android 13 dropped in its developer preview type in February 2022, adopted by one other developer preview, then 4 extra beta releases till the ultimate launch of Android 13. We will anticipate then that the primary developer preview for Android 14 might be across the identical time.

For builders, you possibly can anticipate to see Android 14 hit “platform stability” someday across the third beta if Google follows the identical launch timeline as final 12 months. Platform stability refers back to the finalization of APIs, and final 12 months, it coincided with the flexibility for builders to submit apps focusing on the brand new API degree on the Google Play Retailer.

Will my system get Android 14?

When you have a current Google Pixel smartphone, like the brand new Pixel 7 series, relaxation assured that you may be one of many first to get a style of Android 14 when it drops. It would nonetheless solely be in developer preview type (and thus, most likely should not be put in in your every day driver), however you will nonetheless be capable of strive it out. We additionally anticipate different system producers to hitch in on the enjoyable, although it tends to be the case that gadgets from locations like OnePlus and Xiaomi aren’t up to date as commonly. In different phrases, beware.

Nevertheless, if you happen to actually need to strive Android 14 when it comes out in your smartphone, and there isn’t any official construct, you can try out a Generic System Image (GSI). We’ll you should definitely replace this part with extra info when the primary developer preview drops. We anticipate the primary Developer Preview to reach in February, which might be maintaining in time with earlier releases.

What’s new in Android 14 to this point?

Whereas Android 14 is not right here but, we already know of some modifications which are coming to the platform.

Google might cease you sideloading outdated functions

As Google updates the Android working system, it tends to clamp down on the entry beforehand afforded to apps. Every replace tends to return with an increment within the API degree, which contains new modifications. Nevertheless, to not break compatibility with these functions, the corporate will help older API ranges, too, with apps being granted the identical degree of entry that concentrate on these older API ranges.

Nevertheless, Android 14 may begin to entirely block Android apps that target ancient versions of the platform. There are already minimal API ranges required for submitting apps to the Google Play Retailer, however these aren’t enforced on a system degree. Nothing beforehand stopped you from sideloading app builds for an older model of Android.

This transfer goals to curb the unfold of malware. “Malware can goal older SDK variations to keep away from enforcement of recent API habits,” notes the developer liable for the change. Customers will nonetheless have the choice to put in outdated apps on their gadgets by means of a command shell utilizing a brand new flag, however the course of will not be so simple as sideloading an APK. By making the method extra sophisticated, Google will make it much less probably for customers to put in a malware-laden app on their gadgets unintentionally.

Android has had an issue with its share menu for a very long time now. Whereas updates prior to now have tried to repair it, it isn’t constant throughout OEM variants of Android and even apps, and it is simply, normally, a multitude. The screenshot beneath exhibits precisely what I imply.

The issue even exists throughout completely different OEMs that additionally use AOSP as a base.

Fortunately, evidently Google may transfer the Android Sharesheet to a Project Mainline module in a future launch to deal with the share menu’s inconsistencies, in accordance with other reports. To that finish, Google has added a brand new app to the system picture with Android 13 QPR1 beta. Android 13 QPR1’s supply code reveals that the brand new “Intent Resolver” app will deal with the implementation of Android’s “chooser” code, which invokes the Android Sharesheet by forcing customers to pick out which app to make use of for the share motion.

By transferring the Android Sharesheet to a Challenge Mainline module, Google can now provide a extra constant system share menu throughout Android gadgets from completely different OEMs. It would additionally permit the corporate to experiment with what works and what does not, bettering it with out the necessity for a wholesale system replace. It isn’t confirmed that Google might be going forward with this, but it surely appears probably.

Updatable root certificates are coming

Root certificates are on the very core of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), they usually’re signed by trusted Certificates Authorities (CA). Typically, although, these CAs develop into untrustworthy, and there must be a manner for gadgets to obtain new certificates to make sure full entry to the web. Beforehand with Android, the one method to distribute new certificates was through an OTA replace since they’re saved in your cellphone’s system partition.

That’s set to change in the future, probably with Android 14 as Google is making the foundation retailer in your cellphone (the shop that principally tells your cellphone what certificates are accepted) a part of the Conscrypt Mainline module that may be up to date through Google Play System Updates. It does not matter to most customers, but it surely safeguards your cellphone in opposition to a possible web disaster ought to a serious certificates authority abruptly develop into untrustworthy in a single day.

Well being Join might come as a part of Android 14

There are numerous health-tracking apps on Android, however not each single app will cowl each single very important that you could be need to monitor. Apps can and do elect to share knowledge individually with different apps, however beforehand, there was no one API that well being apps might leverage to share knowledge. Health Connect is Google’s reply to the issue, in a position to act as an middleman for these monitoring apps to share knowledge with one another. If MyFitnessPal needs to take knowledge from Samsung Well being, Fitbit, and Google Match, it beforehand wanted to interface instantly with every of those apps. On this case, it solely wants to hook up with Well being Join, and Well being Join will deal with all of these connections for it.

Well being Join is definitely obtainable on the Google Play Retailer right now, however the issue is that it isn’t pre-installed in your cellphone, so not everybody is aware of about it. Google has signaled its intention to have it pre-installed on not less than some telephones, and presumably, the corporate is ready till it is out of beta to just do that. Reports suggest that it’s going to include Android 14 and probably as a Mainline module. It isn’t confirmed, however there’s a variety of robust proof to recommend that’s the case.

Say goodbye to Android Beam

After being deprecated in Android 10, Google will lastly be eradicating Android Beam from AOSP, according to a commit on the Android Gerrit. Android Beam could possibly be used to attach two gadgets to begin a knowledge switch simply. It is already been changed by Close by Share, which basically does the identical factor, so it isn’t an enormous deal.

Nevertheless, the most important subject is that Close by Share depends on Google Cell Providers (GMS), that means that Google has principally taken a characteristic away from AOSP and hidden it behind a proprietary service that is not part of AOSP. This implies producers who aren’t (or cannot be, corresponding to Huawei) part of Google’s personal licensing agreements for GMS will miss out on a characteristic.

Say howdy over satellite tv for pc

Android 14 will, in accordance with Google’s Senior Vice President for Android Hiroshi Lockheimer, support satellite communication. He stated that Google is “designing for satellites” and that the corporate is worked up to help companions “in enabling all of this within the subsequent model of Android.” Given the stress from the likes of Apple, which also recently introduced satellite support to the iPhone 14 series, it appears to be the route the business is transferring in.

Nonetheless have loads to study Android 14

Android 14 is sort of a methods away from now, however we’re prone to hear extra as we edge nearer to the primary developer preview. We’ll both hear of these modifications by means of the Android Gerrit or statements from Google and spokespeople. We’ll you should definitely replace this text as extra info involves gentle, and we’re wanting ahead to what the following model of the world’s largest working system will convey to the desk subsequent.