Google has just released the second developer preview of Android 14 as app developers test their programs against the changes coming in this year’s big update to the mobile operating system. Most of the features in this latest version were already mentioned in the first Android 14 development preview back in February, such as operational improvements on Android devices, changes to app security and privacy permissions, and a new API that supports passwordless login using passkeys. .
The Android 14 preview also includes a test of Credential Manager, a platform API that supports multiple login methods such as access keys and federated login solutions (such as the option to sign in with Google) along with traditional username and password combinations. . This API isn’t exactly new: support was included in the first preview of Android 14. However, Google has since made UI improvements based on your initial feedback. Some services, like password manager app Dashlane, have already teased passkey integration, ahead of Android 14’s release later this year.
Android 14 will also increase privacy by giving users more control over how their information is shared. Google updated the photo picker first introduced in Android 13 to allow Android 14 users to specify which images and videos on the device apps can access, instead of allowing apps to access their entire media library.
The second preview of Android 14 includes improvements to system health and battery life. Android’s memory management system optimizations will limit unnecessary resource usage by apps while running in the background. For more information on what’s included in the latest Android 14 developer preview, a full rundown of features and updates can be found on the Android developer website.
This early preview is only available to Android 14 Developer Preview users, via download manual for new preview users or an automatic wireless update for those already signed up for preview. There isn’t much here for general Android users anyway, and these developer previews can be unstable, which could cause problems for anyone unfamiliar with running a developer build. The Android 14 beta is expected to arrive in April, with an anticipated final release in August 2023.
