Google has released the first build of Android 14 Developer Preview, which is intended for developers. The tech giant prefers not to reveal the full set of new features of the software platform, so at this stage, not all the changes of Android 14 are known, the stable version of which will become publicly available this fall.
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The most noticeable change in the new version of the OS is related to blocking the installation of old Android apps. The platform has changed over the years, and new APIs, as well as security, privacy, and background processing, can break legacy applications. With backwards compatibility support, older apps continue to work on new versions of Android, but with the release of Android 14, that will change. While the old policy kept legacy applications running, it also left loopholes for malware developers.
In Android 14, developers will close this loophole, since in this OS, the installation of any application that targets eight years old Android 6.0 or an older version of the OS will be automatically blocked. Google is expected to drop support for older Android apps every year as new versions of the OS are released. It is noted that already installed applications for Android 6.0 will not be removed from the device if you upgrade to Android 14. If you need to install an outdated application in Android 14, you will need to use the Android Debug Bridge to deactivate the lock.
The second notable change in Android 14 concerns non-linear font scaling. Android has had support for font scaling for a long time, but now, instead of linearly increasing everything and inflating title text, small text will scale more than large text, making it easier to read. In addition, the zoom limit has been increased from 130% to 200%.
As for the rest of the innovations of Android 14, little is known about them at the moment. Vague mentions on the developer blog point to numerous changes related to “optimization of background processes”. The developers also published a schedule for the release of new versions of Android 14. It follows that beta versions of the platform will begin to appear in the spring, and the release of the stable version will take place in the fall. Android 14 Developer Preview is currently available for installation on Google Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 5, and Pixel 4a smartphones.
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