Posted by Dave Burke, VP of Engineering
At the moment we’re releasing the primary Beta of Android 14, constructing round our core themes of privateness, safety, efficiency, developer productiveness, and person customization whereas persevering with to enhance the large-screen system expertise on tablets, foldables, and extra. We have been making regular progress refining the options and stability of Android 14, and it is time to open the expertise as much as each builders and early-adopters.
Android delivers enhancements and new options year-round, and your suggestions on the Android beta program performs a key function in serving to Android constantly enhance. The Android 14 developer website has heaps extra details about the beta, together with downloads for Pixel and the launch timeline. We’re trying ahead to listening to what you assume, and thanks prematurely in your continued assist in making Android a platform that works for everybody.
Working throughout kind elements
Android 14 builds on the work accomplished in previous releases to assist tablets and foldable kind elements, and we have been constructing instruments and sources to assist polish your app expertise, together with design inspiration and improvement guides.
Smarter System UI
Within the Android working system, options are carried out by two separate but equally essential packages: the framework, which supplies companies, and the System UI, which provides the person management of these companies. Every Android launch brings new refinements to the system UI, and listed below are some that you just may discover in Beta 1.
New again arrow
The gesture navigation expertise features a extra outstanding again arrow whereas interacting along with your app to assist enhance again gesture understanding and usefulness. The again arrow additionally compliments the person’s wallpaper or system theme.
A superior system sharesheet
As well as, the system now makes use of extra app indicators to find out the rating of the direct share targets. You present the sign by calling pushDynamicShortcut to report shortcut utilization with the corresponding functionality bindings.
Extra graphics capabilities
Android 14 provides new graphics options that you need to use to make your app actually stand out.
Paths are actually queryable and interpolatable
Android’s Path API is a strong and versatile mechanism for creating and rendering vector graphics. Beginning in Android 14, you’ll be able to question paths to search out out what’s inside them. The API updates embody performance to interpolate between paths whose constructions match precisely, enabling morphing results, and an AndroidX library supplies backwards compatibility again to API 21. Extra particulars right here.
Personalization
Per-app language preferences
Android 14 enhances per-app language preferences, permitting for dynamic customization of the set of languages displayed within the Android Settings per-app language record, and giving IMEs a solution to know the UI language of the present app. Beginning with Android Studio Giraffe Canary 7 and AGP 8.1.0-alpha07, you’ll be able to configure your app to assist per-app language preferences robotically. Based mostly in your challenge sources, the Android Gradle plugin generates the LocaleConfig file and provides a reference to it within the generated manifest file, so that you not must create or replace the file manually when your language assist modifications. See Computerized per-app language assist for extra info and go away suggestions.
Privateness
Limiting visibility to disability-focused accessibility companies
Android 14 introduces the accessibilityDataSensitive attribute to permit apps to restrict visibility of specified views solely to accessibility companies that declare to assist customers with disabilities. Play Defend ensures apps downloaded from the Play Retailer are truthful about these claims. TalkBack and different companies that declare to assist customers with disabilities is not going to be affected by this attribute.
Apps can think about using accessibilityDataSensitive to:
- Defend person information (corresponding to private particulars or plaintext passwords)
- Forestall crucial actions from being executed unintentionally (corresponding to transfering cash or testing in a buying app)
App compatibility
If you have not but examined your app for compatibility with Android 14, now could be the time to do it! With Android 14 now in beta, we’re opening up entry to early-adopter customers in addition to builders. Within the weeks forward, you’ll be able to anticipate extra customers to be attempting your app on Android 14 and elevating points they discover.
To check for compatibility, set up your revealed app on a tool or emulator working Android 14 Beta and work by way of the entire app’s flows. Evaluation the conduct modifications to focus your testing. After you’ve resolved any points, publish an replace as quickly as attainable.
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It’s additionally an excellent time to begin preparing in your app to focus on Android 14, by testing with the app compatibility modifications toggles in Developer Choices.
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| App compatibility toggles in Developer Choices. |
Get began with Android 14
At the moment’s Beta launch has the whole lot that you must strive the Android 14 options, take a look at your apps, and provides us suggestions. For testing your app with tablets and foldables, the simplest solution to get began is utilizing the Android Emulator in a pill or foldable configuration within the newest preview of the Android Studio SDK Supervisor. Now that we have entered the beta section, you’ll be able to enroll any supported Pixel system right here to get this and future Android 14 Beta and have drop Beta updates over-the-air. In the event you don’t have a Pixel system, you need to use the 64-bit system pictures with the Android Emulator in Android Studio.
For the very best improvement expertise with Android 14, we advocate that you just use the newest preview of Android Studio Giraffe (or more moderen Giraffe+ variations). When you’re arrange, listed below are a few of the issues it’s best to do:
- Attempt the brand new options and APIs – your suggestions is crucial as we finalize the APIs. Report points in our tracker on the suggestions web page.
- Check your present app for compatibility – study whether or not your app is affected by default conduct modifications in Android 14. Set up your app onto a tool or emulator working Android 14 and extensively take a look at it.
- Check your app with opt-in modifications – Android 14 has opt-in conduct modifications that solely have an effect on your app when it’s focusing on the brand new platform. It’s essential to grasp and assess these modifications early. To make it simpler to check, you’ll be able to toggle the modifications on and off individually.
We’ll replace the preview and beta system pictures and SDK repeatedly all through the Android 14 launch cycle.
In case you are already enrolled within the Android 13 QPR Beta program and your system is supported, Android 14 Beta 1 might be made obtainable to you with out taking any further motion.
For full info on how one can get the Beta, go to the Android 14 developer website.
