Android 14
Android 14 Introduces Stunning Ultra HDR Photos and Refreshed Material You+ UI
Google has dropped its second Android 14 beta update for its Pixel smartphones; with this update, the company has come up with some new features which will help you to get more interesting things to do on your devices, like it adds some new features for the camera, introduce new capabilities of Material you on, and also introduced some new features which will take care of your privacy and security. Let’s know about them.
Ultra HDR
Android phones are known for high-end cameras that support many DSLR-like features. HDR is the most common feature you can see in every latest smartphone. Nowadays, companies have introduced the latest technology of HDR, which is also known as Ultra HDR. But the older Android versions did not support Ultra HDR photos, which reduced the quality of the photos.
However, Google has solved this problem with Android 14. Now if you take photos from HDR, it will be saved in Ultra HDR format. Photos taken with HDR can be saved in the original 10-bit high dynamic range and viewed as such on premium devices. It is also expected that Google will introduce support for this format with its Google Photos app.
Health Connect
Google will release a health connect feature that will be available for Android devices; this feature will help users to track all the health-related data retrieved by different health apps in one place. In other words, you can easily discover how much you have done activities and manage them with different options.
Material You+
Google has extended Material You for the proper adoption of colors depending on background images. It brings color fidelity which makes it able to generate a wider range of colors. This will also get high- a contrast mode theme and a medium-contrast theme. Additionally, buttons and other components will be capable of adapting the background color of images.
Privacy & security
As observed in the previous developer preview, it is seen that Google has focused on enhancing the security of Android devices. And with the Android 14 beta 2, we got to know about a new data share feature. This allows users to track app activity and identify where the location data has been shared. Additionally, they will also get monthly “data sharing updates for location”.
Better responsive animations
Android 14 adds new in-app animations, which smoothly run while touched by the user; similarly, it also adds predictive back animations for bottom sheets, side sheets, and search. This functionality is in the hands of developers whether they want to keep it for their devices.
Last month, Samsung officially confirmed the One UI 6.1 update for the 2022 models. Now, keeping its promise, the company has started rolling out the major update for the Galaxy S22 series.
The Android 14-based One UI 6.1 update for the Galaxy S22 series is live in South Korea. Users who own the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra can identify the latest update by the firmware version numbers S901NKSU3EXDC, S906NKSU3EXDC, and S908NKSU3EXDC, respectively.
Samsung has released several Galaxy AI features with the One UI 6.1 update that will help you provide a better communication experience and take advantage of the ability to quickly understand information.
For your information, the Galaxy S22 series device will get the benefit of all the important Galaxy AI features, including Circle to Search, Live Translate, Generative Edit, Note Assist, Transcript Script, Chat Assist, and many more.
Apart from the Galaxy AI feature, the device will also get some important additions on the customization side, where users will get several new changes related to wallpaper, lock screen, alarm, calendar, and many more.
To check the latest update on your device, navigate to the settings, then select the software update option here. Tap on the download and install option. Wait until it finishes searching to see if the update is available, then tap on the install button.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 is one of the rugged smartphones that is dedicatedly made for using it in any weather condition. It is worth noticing that the company hasn’t limited it to giving tough hardware but also keeps it up to date with its fresh software. In the last major update, Android 14, it has grabbed some new features, and unfortunately, it has also got an issue with the camera, which is causing inconvenience to the users.
Galaxy XCover5 getting a camera issue after Android 14
The Galaxy XCover 5 has received Android 14 and One UI 6.0, and after installing them, users have started reporting about the camera issue. In the reports, the consumers have pointed out that they are not able to use the camera focus like before. Since the camera is the most frequently used feature of the smartphone, its malfunction is significantly affecting the overall performance of the devices.
Due to the malfunctioning of the autofocus, users are also having difficulty making payments due to the autofocus malfunction. When they open the QR code scanner, they are unable to do so because the camera is not focusing on the code.
However, the Korean giant hasn’t yet released a statement regarding the issue’s resolution, despite the fact that the issue surfaced after the last update, suggesting a software update-related problem. Hopefully, Samsung could release a proper update that will update it to the latest version.
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.