Android 14 Beta 1 is here! Google introduces new features and customization options

Google has released the first public beta of Android 14 with several new features. The beta is available for Pixel devices from 4a to 7 Pro. The update includes improvements in both functionality and appearance of the operating system. Android 14 Beta 1 has aesthetic changes such as an arrow that adapts to the theme used and a share menu that allows custom actions.

Additionally, in Android 14, apps can add custom actions to system sharesheets they invoke. This means that developers can create their custom ChooserAction using ChooserAction.Builder and specify a list of ChooserActions as the Intent.EXTRA_CHOOSER_CUSTOM_ACTIONS of the Intent created with Intent.createChooser. Additionally, the system now uses more app signals to determine the ranking of the direct share targets. Developers can provide the signal by calling pushDynamicShortcut to report shortcut usage with the corresponding capability bindings.

Image by Google

FAndroid 14 beta 1 also introduces a new privacy feature that allows disabling animations when entering the mobile phone's unlock PIN. The release of Android 14 beta 2 is scheduled for May, and more features are expected to be presented at Google I/O on May 10th. With these updates, Android 14 is shaping up to be a more customizable and user-friendly version of the popular operating system.