Google launches first public beta of Android 14

Google has released the first public beta of Android 14 after two developer previews. Currently, the Android 14 beta 1 update is available for the Google Pixel 4a and newer models, and users can register their devices in the Pixel program to apply for the beta build.

As per Google’s intended plan, Android 14 will be in a beta phase for the next couple of months, and the company will then stabilise the OS in June and July. The final stable build of Android 14 will be released to supported devices by August 2023.

For those who don’t have a Pixel smartphone, they can experience Android 14 in a smartphone or tablet UI through the Android emulator by setting up a virtual device. There’s also an option to download a generic system image or GSI build and install the same on Treble-compliant devices, including smartphones from OnePlus, Xiaomi, Honor, and Asus.

What’s New In Android 14 Public Beta?
The first beta of Android 14 doesn’t bring many new features, but there are two notable user-facing UI updates. The gesture navigation experience now includes a more prominent back arrow, and the sharesheet will be smarter about how it ranks sharing targets. Developers will also be able to add custom actions to the system sharesheet. The update also introduces per-app language settings and Google’s new privacy settings. The company is likely to add more features to Android 14 in the upcoming beta builds.

It’s worth noting that these betas are intended for developers and early adopters, so things can break or malfunction. It’s also important to remember that this is a beta build, so it will not be stable, and some basic functionalities might not work correctly. Hence, it’s not recommended to install this beta build on your primary device if you want to test it out.

It is likely that Google will release more information about what’s new in Android 14 at the Google I/O event next month. Bloomberg