Android 14

Android 14: Price (Free), Release Date, Features and News

Lock screen shortcuts, privacy enhancements, and new accessibility features

By
Tim Fisher
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Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on January 30, 2024

The annual OS upgrade for Android devices is here. Below is everything you need to know about Android 14 (codenamed Upside Down Cake), including when it came out, how to install it, and everything new that came with it.

Android 14 Release Date

Google released Android 14 after its Pixel 8/8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2 event on October 4, 2023. Assuming it's available for your device (see below), you'll get a notification to download Android 14. You can also check for an Android OS update manually.

Android 14 Price

Android updates are provided at no cost.

Android 14 Features

Here are the noteworthy features:

  • Camera flash notifications: Flash the camera light or the screen when you receive notifications or alarm sounds.
  • Split ring & notification volume controls: This version adds independent volume sliders, thereby breaking up the volume for notification and ringing. This means you can change the volume for one without affecting the other.
  • Better file transfers: Backups and downloads can keep running in Android 14 until they finish. They'll be paused automatically if necessary, like if you lose your internet connection, and will resume later when possible.
  • Loud volume alerts: To help prevent damage to your hearing, you'll be alerted if you've been listening to loud music for a while.
  • Smarter hearing aids: Android 14 will let you choose whether different types of audio are played on your hearing device or on your phone speaker. For example, ringtones can be set up to play through your speaker while media and system sounds are streamed to your hearing device.
  • Larger text: 2x font scaling provides low-vision users with additional accessibility options. Google says to prevent large text elements from scaling too large, the system applies a non-linear scaling curve.
  • Predictive back gesture: Android 14 lets you preview where you'll end up when you trigger the back swipe gesture. You'll see whether it'll take you to the home screen, a previous page in the app, or a different app.
  • Data sharing alerts: If an app changes its data-sharing practices, Android 14 will notify you and make it easy for you to change the app's permission settings. You'll see a system notification if one of two things happens: If the app starts sharing location data with third parties or if it starts sharing location data for ads-related purposes.
  • Passkeys: Third-party apps can use just your phone and your fingerprint to sign you up so you can forget about making passwords.
  • Enhanced PIN privacy: Android 14 added a new toggle you can turn on to disable animations while entering your PIN. The idea is to make it harder for an eavesdropper to see which buttons you're pressing. This 15-second video demonstrates how it works.
  • Auto-confirm unlock: If you're interested in saving a second, you'll be happy to hear that Android 14 might let you toggle a screen lock feature that skips the final tap/enter that's currently necessary for authentication. In Android 14 beta, this toggle works if you input a correct PIN of 6 digits or more.
  • Dual-SIM switching: A new option called "Switch mobile data automatically" allows dual-SIM users to have a backup SIM go into effect automatically when the second SIM has better call availability and internet access.
  • Health Connect: You can install Health Connect via the Play Store, but Android 14 integrates it into your phone. Google explains that this app provides a "simple way to share data between your health, fitness, and wellbeing apps without compromising on privacy."
  • QR code auto-zoom: Distant QR codes can be difficult to scan, so Android 14 adds a new auto-zoom feature when it detects that you're looking for a QR code.
  • Ultra HDR: You can read all about this new Ultra HDR image file format, but the gist is that you can share an HDR photo with any device, and it'll get a version of the photo that it can load. For example, if an older phone tries to view it, it will open a normal JPEG, but a newer device will see the full HDR image.
  • Lock screen shortcuts: Android 14 lets you change the lock screen shortcut to any of these options: Camera, Do Not Disturb, Flashlight, Home, mute, QR code scanner, Video Camera, and Wallet.

App cloning, dual live wallpapers, URL screenshot sharing, satellite support, and selective screen recording were some early rumors of features we thought would make their way into Android 14. Who knows, maybe we'll see them in Android 15.

Android 14 Supported Devices

All the best Android phones can run Android 14. Here's a partial list of phones that support this Android version:

  • Pixel: Pixel 4a (5G) and newer
  • Samsung Galaxy: Galaxy Z Flip 3 and newer, Galaxy Z Fold 3 and newer, Galaxy S21 and newer
  • OnePlus: OnePlus 9 and newer
  • Xiaomi: Xiaomi 12T and newer
  • OPPO: OPPO Find N2 Flip
  • Nothing: Nothing Phone 1 and 2
  • Realme: Realme 9-series and 10-series phones and other models
  • Vivo: Vivo X90 Pro and iQOO 11

The Latest News About Android 14

You can get more smartphone news from Lifewire. Below are some of the latest stories about Android 14.