Android 14
Countdown to Android 14: One UI 6.0 Beta Update to Roll Out Next Week
Google has just taken another step towards Android 14. In fact, in the last few hours, the new beta of Android 14 has been released for its Android devices. There are many fixes but also several new features. This update is only available for Pixel phones, tablets, and foldable phones right now, going as far back as the Pixle 4a 5G. So we might assume that the company, before the public launching of Android 14, will add up one more beta version of the update within a week. On the other hand, Samsung will release its first One UI 6.0 Beta update based on Android 14 this July.
One UI 6.0 Beta Update
In the coming weeks, Samsung is anticipated to roll out the most awaited One UI 6.0 beta update to several devices, including the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S22, Galaxy Z Fold 4/ Flip 4, and Galaxy Z Fold 5/ Flip 5. Users of these devices can look forward to experiencing the latest enhancements and features introduced by the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 beta update.
Android 14 Beta 4 New Feature:
The update just released by Google, therefore, consists of Beta 4 of Android 14. Let’s see the new features introduced right away:
- New icon for silent mode in the status bar.
- New icon for Google Lens inside the search bar of the Pixel Launcher.
- Direct access to your smartphone once you enter your 6-digit PIN. You will no longer need to touch the submit button.
- New entry indicating the year of production of the smartphone within the System Settings.
- New alternatives to choose your profile picture on Android.
- Link to start Split Screen on Pixel Tablet from the menu that appears after long pressing on the app icon.
- Widget selector divided into two columns on Pixel Tablet.
Android 14 Beta 4 Full Changelog:
- Fixed an issue that caused the CredentialManager registry to fail when using more than one set of credentials.
- Fixed issues where the HealthConnect API returned null pointer exceptions in some cases to calling apps.
- Fixed issues that could cause boot loops and “Application not responding” messages on some devices.
- Fixed an issue where some elements on the system UI didn’t retheme correctly when switching between day and night modes.
- Fixed a system issue that caused the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) window to be unresponsive when using an app (such as Google Maps) in PiP mode and then locking the screen and reopening the app by tapping the notification on the lock screen.
- Fixed an issue where the lockscreen wallpaper was sometimes reset to a blank, black screen when setting a new wallpaper for the home screen.
- Fixed issues that caused poor UI animations in the launcher.
- Fixed an issue where an intent picker dialog was incorrectly shown during work profile setup, which interfered with a user completing setup successfully.
- Fixed an issue that caused the rounded borders on notifications to display incorrectly.
- Fixed an issue where a device could sometimes become unresponsive if eSIM was disabled.
- Fixed an issue where the lock screen sometimes got stuck with a blank, black screen.
- Fixed an issue with ConnectivityService that could cause a device to crash and restart in rare cases.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the system volume slider to be stuck on the screen.
- Fixed issues where the titles of some Settings pages were not announced correctly and some areas within the system Settings app couldn’t be accessed when TalkBack was enabled.
- Fixed an issue that could cause fingerprint enrollment to fail if the device was rotated during enrollment.
- Fixed an issue where connected Bluetooth devices were not ranked correctly in the system audio output switcher.
- Fixed an issue where the notification shade didn’t close after tapping a notification to launch an intent.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the analog clock to fail to display when viewing wallpaper preview.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused only a right-side Bluetooth earbud to be paired.
- Fixed issues that prevented app launch animations from playing correctly.
- Fixed an issue where notifications from a prioritized conversation were erroneously dismissed when the group of non-prioritized notifications was dismissed.
- Fixed an issue where the sharesheet sometimes crashed after pressing the copy button.
- Fixed an issue where the UI didn’t return to the sharesheet workflow if a user edited an image from the sharesheet.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused Face Unlock to fail.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused a USB headset to consume additional power when connected to a device that was making a call using Voice over LTE (VoLTE).
- Fixed a null pointer exception that sometimes caused the launcher to crash after launching an app.
- Fixed an issue where, when using a device with a work profile, the Google Play Store app in the work profile would hang or crash when launched.
- Fixed various issues that caused the system UI to crash in some cases.
- Fixed other various issues that were impacting system stability.
Android 14
Google Get Inspired By Samsung; As It Copies Secure Folder Feature Housed In Galaxy Phones
Is Google following Samsung? With the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1, it offers a new option for private space, which Samsung already offers with the title Secure Folder.
Google released Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 in November 2023, which introduced a feature called ‘Private Space’ already housed in Samsung devices as Secure Folder. Since reports have been around for several days that the latest iteration of Android 15 will be dedicated to more security and will bring tons of new features to enhance users’ secure experiences, one of the awaiting features is Private Space.
The upcoming Private Space feature will allow the user to install the application in a separate, locked profile, which they can hide at any time. Although this feature has been in the development phase for a long time, it has not yet gone live. Let’s take a closer look.
The new feature named ‘Lock private space automatically’ will allow users to configure the feature to automatically lock the protected space depending on one of the two sub-options they select in it, which are ‘Every time device lock’ and ‘After 5 minutes of inactivity.’ While choosing the first, the feature will lock Privact Space instantly after they lock the device.
But here’s the catchable fact: Secure Folder, available on Galaxy devices, already offers this feature, so somewhere it seems like Google got inspired by Samsung.
The reports are also saying that when users set up Private Space, the feature now recommends them to create a dedicated Google account for using it to’stop data appearing outside private space; for instance, ‘Synced photos, files, emails, contacts, calendar events, and other data,’ and many more. This suggestion and the option to automatically lock the protected space further enhance the privacy and security of private space.
Upcoming Private Space will offer a redesign setup flow to deliver a better idea of the feature. Since this feature initially appeared in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 and then Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1, it is expected that Android 15 will bring this feature to enhance the secure experience.
Google is preparing for its second-pixel drop update for this year. To develop it, the company has already started the Android 14 QPR3 Beta updates. Now, moving forward, it has started rolling out the Beta 2.1 updates, while earlier it rolled out two more beta updates, including Beta 1 and Beta 2, which brought several fixes.
Android 14 QPR 3 2.1 beta update: What’s New
The Android 14 QPR3 beta 2.1 is now available for Pixel devices. It is carrying the firmware version number AP21.240305.005. It is still using the March 2024 patch for security, but now it is live for all the eligible Pixel devices, including the Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro. With the latest update, several issues have been fixed, which will surely improve the overall experience of the devices.
With the latest update, there are several problems related to the UI that have been solved. This includes a launcher crash, a charging issue in the Pixel tablet, the home screen, the layout of notifications, wallpaper settings, ‘Quick tap to start actions’ gesture functionality, and many more.
Along with this, the update changelog also shares information about the top open issues and some common issues related to the Android platform and Google apps. For more details, check out the full changelog below.
Android 14 QPR 3 Beta 2.1 changelog
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused a device’s launcher to crash when trying to view recent apps. (Issue #328803294)
- Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented Pixel Tablet devices from charging while connected to the dock. (Issue #299800125)
- Fixed an issue where swiping up from the bottom of the screen didn’t always return to the home screen.
- I fixed an issue that caused the layout of notifications on the lock screen to display with additional padding.
- Fixed various issues that were causing frequent “Application not responding” errors for both system and user apps.
- Fixed an issue where swiping down from the top of the screen didn’t always show the notification shade.
- Fixed an issue for Pixel Fold devices where sometimes, when the device was unfolded, only half of the inner screen displayed content.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a user’s wallpaper settings from being backed up properly.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes stopped the “Quick Tap to Start Actions” gesture from working.
- Fixed various other issues that were impacting system stability, performance, connectivity, interactivity, and camera
Top open issues
See Top Open Issues for the latest list of issues that have been reported by developers.
Other known issues
Based on our testing, you might encounter the following issues when using Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1: These issues are already known, so there’s no need to file additional reports for similar issues.
Android platform
- An issue with sideloading the Beta 2 build can sometimes cause a device to fail to boot properly after sideloading is completed. Due to the potential disruption that this issue can cause, we’ve temporarily disabled downloads for OTA images until we can further troubleshoot the issue. To work around this issue, we recommend that developers flash a factory image to test devices instead.
Google apps
- The Assistant The Glance widget sometimes displays weather information for the wrong location.
Samsung is always ahead in terms of distributing updates, whether they are related to Android or security patches. However, it is worth noticing that the company schedules the update for older Galaxy devices late, but carefully it provides the update to each eligible device, even if it is not so popular, like when it rolled out the update for the Galaxy Tab A7 lite.
Galaxy Tab A7 Lite has already grabbed the One UI 6.0 update in several regions, including South Korea; now it is getting the update in the US. More specifically, the device is getting a new update on the Verizon network; it is coming with the firmware version number T227USQU8DXB4.
The latest software update for the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite brings the One UI 6.0 update, which will improve the UI and other settings of the devices. It will ultimately enhance the overall user experience of the device, even for the existing functionalities.
In a nutshell, the One UI 6.0 will bring several features to the existing functions, including Quick Panel, Lock Screen, Home Screen, Typeface, Multitasking, Samsung Keyboard, Content Sharing, Weather, Camera, and many more. If you want to know more details, you can check out the dedicated article.
The update also brings the December 2023 security patch, which will improve the device internally. If you want to take advantage of the new update, then you should update your device to the latest version. If you are using the Verizon-locked version of the Galaxy A7 Lite, then you should start receiving the update, but if you don’t receive the update, then you have to wait for some time.