As we approach August or September 2023, the tech industry, as it does every year, is holding its breath in anticipation. Because the prospect of the next big update, Android 14, promises to improve the digital landscape a little bit. This upcoming version of the operating system is already on the drawing boards of some manufacturers and could soon be used on numerous smartphones. Some of the leading names in the industry have already signaled their intentions to integrate the new software.

Emergency call function
The emergency call feature in Apple’s iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, known as Emergency SOS, is getting serious competition from the Android camp. Unlike the Apple solution, which only allows for limited one-way communication, the Android version seems to support comprehensive messaging. However, this feature, which is based on Qualcomm technology, will initially Only available on some top models. This shows once again that despite the strengths of the Apple solution, the Android platform is constantly breaking new ground to improve and expand the user experience.

New lock screen
On May 10th, during I/O 2023, Google announced exciting news regarding the upcoming Android 14 update: A major overhaul of the lock screen is imminent. This comes in response to Apple’s major lock screen redesign with rel=”noopener”>iOS 16. Android 14 allows users to customize their lock screen with new shortcuts and beautifully designed clocks. In addition, Google plans to embed a monochrome color palette consisting of black, white and gray tones throughout the system. It seems that Android 14 will bring an elegant, unified and at the same time customizable style to your Smartphone offer.

Gesture navigation
Android 14 pays more attention to the user experience and introduces advanced gesture navigation. A notable innovation is the introduction of the “Predictive (predictable) back gesture, which provides a preview of the intended target when swiping to increase usability. Another visible improvement over Android 13 is the improved display of the navigation arrows. These are now much more recognizable, allowing for more intuitive and user-friendly navigation.

Health Framework
Android 14 plans to put health and fitness front and center by Android Health, a new health framework built into the operating system. This promising addition combines the existing Health Connect and Health Service to provide users with an enhanced health and fitness experience. According to Google, this innovation should offer, among other things, the opportunity to share running maps with others.

A particularly notable facet of this update lies in the delivery of the Health Connect updates. Since these are provided directly by Google itself via the Google Play Framework, it is guaranteed that they are consistent across all Android devices. This would ensure a more unified and integrated health and fitness experience across the Android platform.

Privacy Policy
In the development of Android 14, Google has data protection in its sights : Should an app pass on location information to third parties, this action is now transparently displayed in the respective authorization request. According to the tech giant, if users click on this notice, they will be provided with additional details about the type of data being collected. Google is thus taking a step further towards more open and user-friendly information processing.

Regional Settings
Another notable feature is the newly introduced “Regional Settings”. They allow users to set universal preferences for their entire device. For example, you can decide whether the temperature information should be displayed in Celsius or Fahrenheit, which day is the first day of the week and much more. This level of personalization even extends to all installed apps, ensuring a unified and consistent user experience.

Credential Manager
A key part of the new Android 14 software is the “Credential Manager “, an innovative feature that makes it easier to log in using saved login data via the “Platform API”. This is intended to make logging into apps and websites smoother and more efficient. There are also plans to roll out this useful feature to older Android versions in future updates. In addition, the company moves with the times and, in addition to improved password support, also integrates the introduction of Passkeys, the new industry standard for passwordless logins. This advance marks an important step towards a simpler and safer user experience.

Battery life
As with every Android version, Android 14 continues to improve battery life at the system level. This is achieved through optimizations in the memory management of the Android operating system. These refinements aim to reduce the resource consumption of apps running in the background, thereby avoiding unnecessary power consumption.

Although some companies already have a high probability of knowing which models will benefit from the new operating system, they are still keeping this information under wraps. Therefore, the following overview offers a cautious forecast. It takes into account the current information situation while we eagerly await the official announcement of the respective manufacturers.

Status of the data: 06/27/2023