Android 14 Officially Launched

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rootyme

Gold is old
Galvanizer
Here is what's new in this release:
1. More sideloading restrictions in the name of security
2. Less battery drain with optimized background operations
3. A very low battery warning to prevent unexpected shutdowns
4. A much improved system share sheet
5. Lock screen customization
6. Redesigned back arrow for gesture navigation
7. The ability to check your battery health
8. A lava lamp effect in the media player
9. Ability to flash the flashlight for notifications!
10. Separate settings for the ringtone and notifications volume
11. Ultra HDR for your photos and videos
12. Material You-themed toggles in settings
13. A new mouse cursor
14. Many new keyboard shortcuts
15. A dedicated 2.4Ghz toggle for Wi-Fi hotspots
16. Health Connect is now a system app and moves previous users over
17. Small interface tweaks
18. Improved PIN security and convenience
19. New default profile images
20. A more delightful user switching animation
21. Improved image permission dialog
22. Support for dragging and dropping while switching apps
23. The clock shortcut in the notification shade makes a return
24. A new silent mode icon
25. A prominent charging indicator in the status bar
26. Languages and input settings are now split into two
27. Regional per-app preferences for date formats and more
28. Ability to view precisely what apps use your location for
29. Better accessibility thanks to bigger fonts and new hearing devices settings
30. Ability to tweak your font size on the go
31. A revamped contrast selector
32. AI generated wallpapers for users
33. Option to find out when your phone was manufactured
34. New gesture navigation tutorials
35. Better predictive back gestures
36. Options to let you force a transparent navigation bar
37. Better usability on big screens and cross-device use cases
38. A new Easter egg

Last but not least - Android is now even bigger a privacy nightmare with the inclusion of the Bard AI across the suite of products Google offers. Meta is also going to force AI in the encrypted private chat client 'WhatsApp'.

Additional resources for further reading:
- https://www.androidpolice.com/android-14/
- https://www.android.com/android-14/
- https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/4/23901594/google-pixel-android-14-ai-generated-wallpapers
 
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awestorr said:
Any details about sideloading restrictions?
Click to expand...
As already spotted in inadvertently leaked source code, Google is restricting sideloading with Android 14. By default, you won't be able to install apps that target an SDK version lower than 23, introduced 2015 with Android 6. Google explains that malware often uses SDK versions targeting older versions of Android to avoid restrictions part of SDK version 23 and higher. This will effectively make it much harder to get malware on devices, even when bad actors manage to convince users to sideload an app rather than getting it from the Play Store.

If you absolutely rely on an outdated app that targets an older version of Android, it is possible to override the block by installing it using ADB with the adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block FILENAME.apk command. These are a lot of hoops to jump through for bad actors trying to convince victims to install their malware, and Google probably counts on most users abandoning the process.

In Android 14, app developers can also limit visibility of their apps to disability-focused accessibility services. This effectively blocks malware that uses accessibility services from snooping on private data in your password manager or your banking app. Only accessibility apps screened by Play Protect and the Play Store can then access sensitive information protected by the new measure.

Source - https://www.androidpolice.com/android-14/
 
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rootyme said:
As already spotted in inadvertently leaked source code, Google is restricting sideloading with Android 14. By default, you won't be able to install apps that target an SDK version lower than 23, introduced 2015 with Android 6. Google explains that malware often uses SDK versions targeting older versions of Android to avoid restrictions part of SDK version 23 and higher. This will effectively make it much harder to get malware on devices, even when bad actors manage to convince users to sideload an app rather than getting it from the Play Store.
Click to expand...
There are some very old apps on f-droid etc. Hopefully they will be updated to use current SDK.
 
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Mr.J said:
There are some very old apps on f-droid etc. Hopefully they will be updated to use current SDK.
Click to expand...
Let's hope so!

One particularly useful app for me is ColorDict. It's not been updated in ages. Hopefully somebody does the needful.
Edit: It was updated in 2021 but it still supports Android 4.1 so I'd guess it's built with a lower API than SDK 23?
 
instead of flashing the flash they should have given option of some led like dot flashing on the oled screen. A flash going on/off every 1-2 seconds is going to make people angry who are near you.
 
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6pack said:
instead of flashing the flash they should have given option of some led like dot flashing on the oled screen. A flash going on/off every 1-2 seconds is going to make people angry who are near you.
Click to expand...
Apparently there is 'Screen Flashing' too that makes the entire screen flash the color of your liking.

The old implementation of notification LED flashing was probably better than these two.

The camera flash feature might cause noticable battery drain for the people who are not-so-well-versed in Androids. I have seen phones with 200-300 notifications every single day. Imagine the amount of flashing that would cause. :)
 
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rootyme said:
As already spotted in inadvertently leaked source code...
Click to expand...

There was no "leak" in the truest sense of the term, as Google always publish the source code right after the stable release of a major Android version.

The stricter API requirements for app installation of Android 14 was originally spotted by 9to5Google back in January this year in a then-public AOSP code commit, which was later made private. To be precise, such practices are quite common for Google engineers as they tinker with the codebase all the time, but not all changes get the green signal to be merged. Nonetheless, Google incorporated it and the API enforcement was eventually confirmed during the public testing phase.

You can still sideload any app targeting API levels < 23 in Android 14 using the following ADB parameter:
Code: 
adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block app.apk
 
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Titokhan said:
You can still sideload any app targeting API levels < 23 in Android 14 using the following ADB parameter:
Code: 
adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block app.apk
Click to expand...
Had included this in the second paragraph of the message you quoted.
Titokhan said:
There was no "leak" in the truest sense of the term
Click to expand...
I had pasted this particular message as-is from Android Police. They have been adding stuff as they discovered them throughout an expansive timeline on a single web page. Back in January, this discovery would definitely feel like a leak. That's why their lines are worded that way. I believe they will update the old texts soon to reflect the post-release status.
 
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My pixel 6a got updated to A14 at night. Don't see any difference.

android14.png
 
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t3chg33k said:
Who does see differences nowadays with any version upgrade on Android and iOS?
Click to expand...
I can't vouch for the accuracy of my theory and I could be entirely wrong but I believe this very idea of a new OS release every year is a psychological hack employed by companies to make the average consumer believe that they are getting something radical, extraordinary and revolutionary when they purchase their brand new product X (X being the variable here). If Microsoft did this with Windows, we'd probably have Windows 28 by now. Apple goes ahead and pushes their message 'Our best iPhone, iOS, Mac ever.' in every product launch. I mean if it's a new release of course it needs to have at least one thing new/better for the owners of the existing products to even consider the upgrade. What's the point of that 'best ever' advert?

I don't see any point of having so many releases besides the inherent intention to milk as much sales as a brand possibly can. If they could, they would prefer not to support a product beyond the warranty period which is one year usually. We have EU to thank for the enforcement of stringent update policies.
t3chg33k said:
Gone are the days of switching from Eclair to Ice Cream Sandwich to Marshmallow to Nougat and seeing everything change on the user interface.
Click to expand...
I think we have reached a point of saturation with regards to UI design. There is not much to change unless we want to reinvent the wheel over and over again.
 
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t3chg33k said:
Who does see differences nowadays with any version upgrade on Android and iOS? Most are under the hood changes.

Gone are the days of switching from Eclair to Ice Cream Sandwich to Marshmallow to Nougat and seeing everything change on the user interface.
Click to expand...
Imo the android 12 stock design ,visually was far superior to current stock versions.
 
rootyme said:
I can't vouch for the accuracy of my theory and I could be entirely wrong but I believe this very idea of a new OS release every year is a psychological hack employed by companies to make the average consumer believe that they are getting something radical, extraordinary and revolutionary when they purchase their brand new product X (X being the variable here). If Microsoft did this with Windows, we'd probably have Windows 28 by now. Apple goes ahead and pushes their message 'Our best iPhone, iOS, Mac ever.' in every product launch. I mean if it's a new release of course it needs to have at least one thing new/better for the owners of the existing products to even consider the upgrade. What's the point of that 'best ever' advert?

I don't see any point of having so many releases besides the inherent intention to milk as much sales as a brand possibly can. If they could, they would prefer not to support a product beyond the warranty period which is one year usually. We have EU to thank for the enforcement of stringent update policies.

I think we have reached a point of saturation with regards to UI design. There is not much to change unless we want to reinvent the wheel over and over again.
Click to expand...
Agree with your point of view. A new release is pretty much a marketing exercise to accompany a new device. You mention Windows but Apple had new MacOS releases tied with new Mac launches even before, because they had hardware to sell.

It is also evident with Android where point releases were a norm, especially when they went from 4.0 to 4.4 because they didn't think the releases were big enough, and had only third-party tie ups with Nexus devices. They switched to integer numbering just a couple of years or so before starting off with Pixel.
 
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rootyme said:
I hadn't even learned to walk when this was launched.:wacky:
Click to expand...
That makes me feel so old!

rootyme said:
Haha. Exactly how lock screen widgets made a come back on stock Android.
Click to expand...
At a certain point, the only innovation comes from removing features and adding them back again in later versions. OS development has essentially become cancer: they ruin everything for the sake of "updating". Imagine how Android would be if every version was supported 3-5 years with security updates...same with Windows.
 
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