Tag: Android 14

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Android 14 includes in-development features to convert, transfer eSIMs

Android 14 may pave the way for other smartphone makers to follow Apple in going all-in on eSIM.

For those unfamiliar with eSIM, it’s a smartphone technology that replaces the need for a physical SIM card, meaning no need for a SIM card tray in your phone. Unsurprisingly, there are pros and cons to this — eSIMs enable less waste and some proponents have suggested eSIMs could reduce carrier control over customers by making it easier to switch providers. However, restrictive activation practices and other complications have prevented that from being the case.

For years, most smartphones have offered both eSIM and physical SIM options, but Apple removed the physical SIM on its iPhone 14 line in the U.S., for better and worse. (Here in Canada, the iPhone 14 line still offers a physical SIM card).

However, the first developer preview of Android 14 includes an updated Settings app with new options for eSIM. As spotted by Mishaal Rahman, senior technical editor at Esper, the new settings app contains an option called ‘Convert to eSIM’ (via Android Police). Although not totally clear, it seems this would convert a physical SIM card into an eSIM. The related settings page appears to still be in development and only shows up in search.

Moreover, Rahman says Android 14 DP1 preps an option to transfer eSIMs between different devices. However, these new settings options don’t work on their own and require additional resources. Rahman found the resources in the pre-installed SIM manager app that Pixel phones use for various background SIM card and network-related features. Android Police noted these resources were added as early as the second Android 13 QPR2 beta in January.

On the surface, these improvements sound like they could address some of the pain points of eSIM, but Rahman notes that carriers will need to support activating newly created eSIMs — given how carriers are, I’m sure you can guess how this will go. Similarly, transferring an eSIM from one device to another isn’t part of the eSIM spec, so it’s not clear whether this will be a Pixel-specific feature or if it will work for Android devices in general. The iPhone has a similar issue where it can transfer eSIMs from iPhone to iPhone, but not to or from Android.

You can learn more about Android 14 DP1 here.

Source: Mishaal Rahman Via: Android Police

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It looks like the Pixel 4a will just miss Android 14

While smartphone nerds are digging into Android 14 DP1, Pixel 4a owners are sadly left out of the fun.

As spotted by Android Police, Google’s excellent Pixel 4a likely won’t make the jump to Android 14 because of Google’s lame update policy. This time around, however, it stings a little more — the Pixel 4a turns three years old in August, meaning it will just miss eligibility for Android 14.

Google has offered three years of OS upgrades for a while now (starting with the Pixel 6, it tacks on five years of security patches too). Unfortunately, this update policy means the Pixel 4a  will miss the Android 14 update. Google’s Android 14 timeline points to an August or September release for the new OS. Moreover, Android 14 DP1 isn’t available on the Pixel 4a.

What’s worse is there’s nothing actually preventing the Pixel 4a from running Android 14. Sure, it’s not the most powerful smartphone, thanks to its Snapdragon 730G chipset, but we also know these decisions aren’t based on a phone’s capability. Otherwise, the Pixel 4 and 4 XL — which are more powerful than the 4a — wouldn’t have just got their last patch.

Anyway, Google should really improve it’s update policies to at least be in line with other Android manufacturers, like Samsung (who’d have thought Samsung would be the model for Android updates?).

As for Pixel 4a owners, if you don’t want to get a new phone, you may want to start learning how to flash ROMs to squeeze more life out of your device.

Source: Android Police

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Android 14 to bring support for the DualSense Edge

If you’ve got your hands on Sony’s $270 DualSense Edge, and have tried to play around with it, you’d already know that the premium customizable controller isn’t compatible with Android.

The DualShock 4 and the DualSense 5 can both be used with an Android smartphone or tablet, while the more expensive DualSense Edge can’t. This is about to change with Android 14.

Mishaal Rahman pointed out the information on Twitter. He said that the operating system added layout files for the DualSense Edge, making Android 14 and smartphones running it compatible with the premium controller. This means that button presses are now understood by an Android 14 device and are mapped to input events.

It’s worth noting that in addition to the layout files, your Android device will also need a new hid-PlayStation kernel patch, as pointed out by AndroidPolice. The DualSense Edge has a different product ID than the DualShock 4 or the DualSense 5, making the current drivers from Sony unusable with the Edge.

For reference, it wasn’t until Android 12 that support for the regular DualSense was fully integrated.

Google has just rolled out the first developer preview for Android 14. The update will go through several months of previews and betas before releasing later this year, possibly in August or September.

Via: AndroidPolice

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Android 14 might make removing carrier bloatware easier

A long-running annoyance with Android smartphones is pre-installed bloatware from carriers and device manufacturers. Not only does the bloat suck, but carrier apps can be a privacy risk and removing them can be quite difficult.

Well, that last point might change with Android 14. The first developer preview for Google’s upcoming mobile operating system update is out now. A notable new feature uncovered in the preview will show which apps were installed by carriers/device manufacturers that users can safely remove.

Mishaal Rahman, who regularly uncovers work-in-progress Android features and details them on Twitter, wrote about the new bloatware tool for XDA Developers. Rahman noted that the feature is currently hidden in Android 14 DP1 — users need to enable a developer flag and access a special version of the Settings app dubbed ‘Spa,’ which is also hidden behind a separate flag.

‘Apps installed in the background’ menu in Android 14 DP1 | Image credit: XDA Developers

The new menu, dubbed ‘Apps installed in the background,’ appears in the ‘Apps’ section and includes the following description:

“Your device manufacturer may install apps on your device in the background, or allow your carrier and other partners to do so.

“Any apps listed here aren’t required for your device to function normally. You can uninstall apps you don’t want.”

Below that is space for a list of apps, though in the example photos shared by Rahman, there weren’t any apps listed.

Rahman goes on to explain that a new system service called “Background Install Control” powers the new menu. Under the hood, it looks like the feature doesn’t capture apps installed through ADB or by other apps running in the foreground. That makes sense, since installations through ADB require manual effort. Foreground apps, on the other hand, would count things like the Play Store.

Instead, the feature will likely work best for, as an example, apps installed after you insert a carrier’s SIM card. Which, frankly, is exactly what’s needed — I’m tired of uninstalling 20 apps whenever I set up a new phone to review.

Source: XDA Developers Via: Android Police

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Android 14 DP1 is available now — here’s what you need to know

The first Developer Preview of Android 14 has arrived, kicking off a months-long testing phase where we’ll get to see much of what’s new in Android ahead of the stable release later this year.

Google released several details about Developer Preview 1 (DP1) as well as a timeline for the preview and beta period ahead on the Android Developers website. Plus, several publications have already started sharing new features and other details about Android 14 based on what they’ve found in DP1.

When will Android 14 release?

The short answer is in August or September 2023, but if you want more detail, read on.

Google published a timeline overview for Android 14 that gives us a pretty good idea how many previews and betas we’ll get, as well as when we’ll get them. DP1 and DP2 will come out in February and March, respectively, and then in April we should get the first Android 14 Beta, with further releases coming roughly every month.

Timeline for Android 14 developer previews and betas

Timeline for Android 14 developer previews and betas.

Google expects to hit platform stability in June with Beta 3 — this is when the search giant will lock in the Android 14 APIs and developers can start building apps knowing there won’t be any further changes. Android 14’s final release will come sometime after July — likely August, as in past years.

How to get Android 14 DP1

Getting a developer preview isn’t the easiest thing for most people, so if you’re not a technical user, I’d recommend waiting until the beta releases start coming out. Not only will those be more stable than developer previews, but you can easily enroll your Pixel phone through Google’s Android Beta Program website without wiping your data or flashing anything.

As for the developer previews, you’ll need to head to the Android Developers website and download the compatible Android 14 DP factory image for your Pixel phone. The following Pixel phones are supported:

You can find the Android 14 DP1 factory images here — you’ll need to download them and flash them, which will wipe your data (that said, you shouldn’t install the developer preview on your daily driver device in the first place). Once flashed, you’ll get future Android 14 updates delivered over the air.

We won’t get into the detailed step-by-step instructions on this process, but there are plenty of excellent guides online — such as this one from Android Police.

What’s new in Android 14 DP1?

Below is a non-exhaustive list of what’s new in Android 14 DP1. We’ll update this as new features and changes are discovered.

  • Optimizations for devices with large screens.
  • Improvements to standby battery life through changes to how Android communicates app changes.
  • Increased text zoom up to a maximum of 200 percent (previously, 130 percent was the max).
  • Android 14 will block installation of apps targetting older versions of Android — learn more.
  • Battery usage page improvements.

Source: Google Via: Android Police

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Google might be gunning for Continuity Camera in Android 14

Using your smartphone as a webcam has become increasingly popular over the last few years. While iPhone users can enjoy built-in features like Continuity Camera to turn their iPhone into a webcam for their Mac, Android users have had to rely on third-party apps so far. That might change in Android 14.

As detailed by Esper senior technical editor Mishaal Rahman on Twitter (via 9to5Google), a work-in-progress project called ‘DeviceAsWebcam’ aims to let users plug their Android phone into a device and use it as a webcam.

It appears Google will use the ‘USB Video Class’ (UVC) standard, which should enable the feature to work across a variety of devices, unlike Continuity Camera, which only works for Apple devices. However, it does look like users would need to plug in their Android phone, which is a fairly significant difference from Continuity Camera.

Moreover, Google’s work on the feature so far is only as a ‘service’ to provide video data through USB. There would also need to be a system app on your phone to put the camera video data into the right spot to transmit over USB. That means Google would have to make a generic, Android-ready app, or manufacturers would need to create their own.

Of course, we’re also still a ways out from Android 14, so it’s likely things could change before then. It’ll be interesting to track this feature through the Android 14 developer previews — if it makes it into the preview.

Source: Mishaal Rahman Via: 9to5Google

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Android 14 could block the installation of old apps

The next version of Android looks set to start blocking the installation of apps built for older versions of Android.

9to5Google spotted changes to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) that detail the incoming changes, which should go live in Android 14. It’s worth noting that at the time of writing, I wasn’t able to access the AOSP link because don’t have “enough privileges,” according to a pop-up when I tried to access the change. However, before we get into the details, there are a few things to understand.

First, developers can target their apps to Android versions, which have different API levels — application programming interfaces enable new features, security capabilities, and more. Targeting newer versions of Android is important for ensuring compatibility with new features and support for the latest security improvements. Still, developers can target older versions of Android because very few smartphones run the latest version of the OS.

Google has used Play Store guidelines to push developers to keep apps up-to-date and target new versions of the OS. For example, Google updated those guidelines earlier this month to require newly listed Play Store apps to target Android 12 or newer.

However, these guidelines only apply to apps available through the Google Play Store. That loophole is beneficial for developers who want to target older versions of Android, but it also opens a potential security vulnerability for people sideloading apps — for example, malware in a sideloaded app could target an older version of Android with less security. The AOSP change spotted by 9to5 seeks to fix that.

The Android 14 change would make API requirements more strict and block the installation of outdated apps, which would impact both the Play Store and sideloading apps from other sources. To start, Android 14 will block apps targeting very old versions of Android, but ramp up over time to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). 9to5 notes that device manufacturers may be able to decide their own threshold or even disable the feature entirely.

Moreover, there will still be ways to install outdated apps, but it will require the use of a command shell — the additional steps should prevent regular users from accidentally installing outdated, risky apps.

Source: AOSP Via: 9to5Google

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Android 14 might make it easier to update the share sheet

A long-running problem with Android is the ‘share sheet,’ which offers access to various options for sharing content from one app to another. But it might not be a problem for much longer — Google is reportedly looking to improve the share sheet perhaps as early as in Android 14.

Although the share sheet generally works, it’s not the best experience — Google has been working to improve it for years. For example, Google updated the share sheet in Android 12 to block third-party apps from setting themselves as the default share sheet, and in Android 10, it boosted the loading speed. However, because the share sheet can only be updated with a new Android version, changes come slowly and sporadically.

According to Mishaal Rahman, senior technical at Esper (via Android Police), Google developed an experimental version of the share sheet that’s hidden in Android 13. Although it’s functionally the same as the current share sheet, the experimental version is a mainline module. Those modules are decoupled from Android itself and can be updated through Play Services — other mainline modules include the Bluetooth stack and networking components.

Unfortunately, Google hasn’t said whether it plans to make this change with the share sheet, but the experiment suggests it could be a future change. And if the change does happen, it could go a long way to helping improve the share sheet by letting Google update it more often. Making the share sheet a mainline module could also help Google ensure a more consistent experience across phones from various manufacturers. The downside, however, would be that manufacturers may not be able to customize the share sheet as much.

Android 14 would be the most likely candidate for implementing this change. However, as mentioned above, Google hasn’t said whether it plans to go through with it. We’ll have to see what happens with the Android 14 developer previews and betas, which will likely arrive in the coming months.

Source: Esper Via: Android Police

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Android 14 is being designed with satellite connectivity in mind

Earlier last week, U.S. carrier T-Mobile, in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, announced the carrier’s new Coverage Above and Beyond plan that will bring direct cell phone to satellite connectivity everywhere, “even in many of the most remote locations previously unreachable by traditional cell signals.”

SpaceX will use a portion of T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum, called “mid-band PCS,” to allow the new Starlink satellites to connect directly to cellphones, and even Tesla vehicles. While intriguing, the carrier partnership limits the satellite-to-phone connectivity to the U.S., with SpaceX likely needing to partner with Canadian carriers to bring the feature north.

Now, according to Google’s senior vice president Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google will support the endeavour by enabling support for smartphones to better connect to said satellite services in Android 14, and according to 9to5Google, the operating system should arrive “mid-to-late 2023.”

Lockheimer says that the Android team is designing Android 14 “for satellites,” and that the “user experiences for phones that can connect to satellites” will likely be very different from 4G and 5G connections. Current Android and iOS devices with the current OS would be able to connect to T-Mobile’s service once launched; however, with OS-level support with Android 14, the user experience is expected to be much better in emergency situations or in dead zone areas with no other signal.

Additionally, past rumours have indicated that Apple plans to launch some kind of satellite capability of its own in the iPhone, but so far, those rumours haven’t played out.

The Gen-2 Starlink satellites will launch aboard SpaceX’s Starship rocket in 2023, with the Coverage Above and Beyond service expected to begin later that year.

Source: @lockheimer, Via: 9to5Google