Android 14: latest news, rumors and everything we know so far
With every new year we get a new version of Android, and this year it’s Android 14’s turn. So you can expect a major upgrade to your phone, with new features and possibly a new look, once Android 14 – or Android Upside Down Cake as it’s codenamed – rolls out.
We’ll probably have to wait a while for it to officially arrive, but the OS update has already been announced and a Developer Preview is now available. We expect public betas to launch probably soon as well, and with that we’ll likely learn a lot more about what lies ahead.
Below you’ll find details on when Android 14 might launch in both beta and finalized form, along with all the other information we have on Android 14 so far; both rumored and confirmed. As soon as we hear something new, we’ll add it to this article as well, so check back soon for updates.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next version of Android
- When is it out? Probably August or September
- How much is it? It will be a free upgrade
Android 14 release date
Android 14 was announced by Google on February 8, 2023, and the first Developer Preview launched on the same day, and the second Developer Preview is now also here, landing in early March. These are early – and likely unstable – betas designed specifically for developers, but public betas are also on the way.
Google has revealed a timeline for the rollout of Android 14 versions with the first public beta expected to release sometime in April so that’s the earliest time we’d suggest trying it out and even then you should be prepared for bugs and unfinished features .
The final beta is scheduled for July, with the actual completed release not even given a month in the timeline, but August or September seems likely as there probably won’t be a major gap between the final beta and the completed release.
In addition, August and September have been the most common release months for new Android versions in recent years, even though Android 12 only launched in October of the release year.
Another important date to note is May 10, when the Google IO 2023 developer conference is scheduled. We’ll likely see one of the betas roll out there, with potentially new features to be announced at this event as well.
Android 14 supported phones
If you’ve been using Android for a while, you know it’s not like iOS where every phone made in the last five years gets the new version on day one. With Android, support is a lot more hit and miss and many phones wait months for their custom update.
That said, if you have a recent Google Pixel phone, you’ll definitely get the update, and probably on day one.
The Pixel 7 series, Pixel 6 series (including Pixel 6a), Pixel 5 series, and Pixel 4a 5G all support the Android 14 developer preview, so you can pretty much count on them all getting the finished version too. However, older Pixels won’t.
Aside from that, most other phones released in the past year will get it, and many phones that are a few years old will, as well as some older handsets.
Many Samsung phones are eligible for four years of OS upgrades, but that policy only applies to recent handsets, which would have gotten Android 14 anyway; devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Other recent big phones such as the OnePlus 11, OnePlus 10 Pro, Sony Xperia 1 IV and the Xiaomi 12 will of course also get Android 14. But so will most niche smartphones, as long as they are recent models. Then again, many of these phones don’t get the update on day one.
Android 14 beta
There are no public betas of Android 14 yet, which means that unless you’re a developer, you really have to wait.
There’s a Developer Preview, though, so if you’re a developer – or are comfortable putting very early software on your phone – then you can try Android 14 right now, as long as you have a Google Pixel phone from the Pixel 4a 5G further.
This is not just a simple download and again, we wouldn’t recommend doing it. But if you want to try Android 14 now, you can go to the Site for Android developers (opens in new tab) the understanding.
Android 14 features
We don’t know everything about Android 14 yet, as the first Developer Preview doesn’t include all features, but based on that preview, along with some leaks, we’re aware of some important things. Below are the main expected features.
Satellite communication
The iPhone 14 series offers emergency satellite communications for when there’s no cellular signal, and Google is building support for this feature right into Android 14, so soon it could be common on Android phones too.
Of course, Android phone manufacturers will still have to choose to support this feature and equip their handsets with the necessary hardware, but native software support may make them eager to do so.
Secure side loading
In an effort to prevent people from downloading malicious apps, Android 14 will prevent users from sideloading apps targeting old versions of Android.
Apps in the Google Play Store should already be aimed at fairly recent versions of Android, but currently there’s nothing stopping users from going to third-party stores or websites and getting apps built for even the very earliest Android versions.
That’s not safe as hackers can create apps that address flaws in these earlier versions of the OS, so with Android 14 wherever you get your apps from you should be a little safer from these vulnerabilities.
Good passkey support
Android 14 seems to offer full passkey support, which could mean that the days of passwords are numbered.
Passkeys are a more secure alternative to passwords and they work through sets of encryption keys. While there’s already support for password keys in Android, the keys currently need to be stored in Google’s own password management system, while Android 14 allows third-party password managers like Dashlane and LastPass to store the keys so you don’t have to. be bound by Google’s own security.
Regional Preferences
Another feature is being tested for Android 14 – as noted by XDA Developers (opens in new tab) – is the ability to set your favorite temperature units, first day of the week, calendar type and number system, which will then be applied to all apps.
Connecting health
Health Connect allows you to sync data between your health and fitness apps and devices, so you may see all of this data in one place. It’s not a new app, though – as noted by XDA Developers (opens in new tab) – with Android 14 it seems like it’s integrated into the platform, rather than being a separate app you have to download.
Clone app
One feature that Google is testing for Android 14 – via XDA Developers (opens in new tab) – known as “cloned apps” and allows you to create a second instance of an app, so you can be logged in with two different accounts at the same time, for apps that don’t support multiple accounts by default.
We’ve seen this kind of feature before from some phone makers, but this is the first time it’s part of stock Android.
Scale font
The first Developer Preview of Android 14 includes font scaling up to 200% to help visually impaired users. It’s cleverly designed too, as it uses a non-linear scaling curve, meaning that while the smallest elements can grow by 200%, already large text won’t grow by the same amount, so it won’t grow unwieldy in size.
View apps installed in the background
Your phone probably doesn’t just have the apps you installed on it. There will also be pre-installed apps, much of which can be considered bloatware.
Even worse, manufacturers and carriers will sometimes add apps to your phone at a later date, without your permission or knowledge, and of course viruses and the like can also add apps to your phone without your knowledge.
These are described as apps installed in the background and with Android 14, XDA Developers found (opens in new tab) that you can see a list of all of these so you can keep track of them.
Emoji wallpaper
If you’re a Pixel user, it looks like Android 14 lets you create a wallpaper for your phone with a combination of up to 14 different emojis of your choice, along with a choice of patterns and colors. You can see some examples of this from XDA Developers above.
Automatically confirm PINs
Spotted a small feature like so many others by XDA developers (opens in new tab)this time in the second Developer Preview of Android 14, is the ability to have correct PINs automatically confirmed.
That means when you enter the last digit of a PIN, it will automatically accept it, instead of having to press ‘OK’ or ‘Confirm’ or something similar. This function only works for PINs of at least six digits.