The newest Android 14 version has customized lock screens, improved passkey compatibility, and additional on-device health features. Other phones will receive it later this year.

Android 14, the most recent version of the Android operating system, has been launched by Google. It is now available on Pixel phones (4A 5G and higher), with phones from Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, and others supporting it “later this year.”

The upgrade includes additional security features such as deeper passkey support, privacy safeguards to cope with dodgy data brokers, and a slew of UI, customization, and health improvements.

Android-14-Official-Release-Timeline

Android Latest features in Pixel Phones 

The big feature for the new version of the OS — or at least the most immediately cool one — is that Android 14 gives you new lock screen customizations.

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You can swap between different clock styles and formats, making the phone’s style a bit more personal. Google is also adding an AI-powered wallpaper generator. 

Read also-Choose your Phone-The iPhone 15 or the Google Pixel 7?

Unfortunately, that feature will only be available on the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro at launch.

Then there’s extended passkey compatibility, which allows you to sign in to third-party applications with your fingerprint. Apps may utilize Android’s new Credential Manager to collect all of a user’s sign-in methods, such as passwords and “Sign-in with Google,” to streamline the login process and display only the most secure choice.

Other updated features include improved camera extension support, 10-bit HDR image compatibility, and Android’s new Health Connect feature, which, like Apple Health, maintains health and fitness data on-device.

Pixel Phones

Telus, a Canadian carrier, has announced that the update will be available on October 4th, the same day that the Pixel 8 lineup is introduced.
Surprisingly, the Pixel 4a is also on the list of devices that will be eligible for the Android U upgrade when it is released.
Android U is an acronym for Android Upside Down Cake, which is the internal codename for the Android 14 operating system.
The Telus article appears to be gone now, maybe because Google asked the company to do so in response to many web complaints.
Because Google has yet to make an official declaration on the issue, we advise treating this news with a grain of salt and waiting for more details to be revealed in the next 48 hours.

Google’s Pixel phones action may drive Samsung to improve its game.

In early 2022, Samsung outperformed its Android rivals, including Google, with an improved firmware strategy that ensured most of its newest Galaxy phones and tablets will receive four OS upgrades and five years of security fixes. Google, on the other hand, provided three Android OS upgrades and five years of fixes.

This new tactic, combined with Samsun’s relatively quick firmware releases, drove the Korean tech titan even further up the Android food chain.

However, with Google’s 2023 launch event, when the Pixel 8 series was introduced, Samsung fears losing that competitive advantage to the Pixel brand.

It may be wishful thinking, but Samsung might try to match Google’s policy with the debut of the Galaxy S24 series early next year.

Providing seven Android OS upgrades, on the other hand, is a massive operation, especially for a company like Samsung, which has a slew of Galaxy devices under its belt. Much more than Google.

Let us hope that Samsung can and will follow in Google’s footsteps and not become the Pixel maker.

If Samsung can stay up, it will be a tremendous gain for Galaxy device consumers, but only time will tell if Google’s insane firmware strategy can be matched by the Korean tech giant or any other OEM.

Pixel Events –

Samsung could release stable Android 14 (One UI 6.0) update in October

Some speculated that Samsung will release the stable version of One UI 6.0 on the same day or week as Google. However, according to Ice Universe, Samsung plans to deploy the stable One UI 6.0 upgrade by the end of October 2023.

For comparison, the South Korean business has already delivered five One UI 6.0 beta upgrades to the Galaxy S23 series, and the company may deploy the stable version to its current-generation Galaxy S series phones after one more beta release.