Supported devices - Android 14

The changes in the new Android are not major compared to previous versions, but they are many and offer more customization options.

One new feature is the ability to style your lock screen pretty much any way you want. Users can choose from lock screen templates, customize the appearance of the clock, color, font style and size, wallpaper or shortcuts in the bottom corners of the display. There's also a Cinematic Wallpaper feature that adds a 3D feel to wallpapers (called the parallax effect).

To make it more accessible to visually or hearing-impaired users, Google has introduced several new features. The first is a new non-linear font enlargement. The idea is that fonts that are already large enough are no longer enlarged and only smaller paragraphs are enlarged. Text can be set up to 200% larger, compared to the previous 130%. Another new feature is the ability to set up alerts (notifications) using a flashing flash, or a display with color settings.

Of course, the emphasis has also been placed on safety. In terms of privacy, several changes come with the new Android. The most notable of these is a complete ban on installing apps from unknown sources that don't target at least Android 5.1 (API 23). This was because malware developers often target older, less secure versions of the API. Another change is greater control over media storage rights allocation. Previously, the option was to allow access to the entire repository or disallow it. Now it is possible to select specific media folders or media that an application should be able to access.

Android 14 now displays photos in Ultra HDR natively. Google has introduced a new photo format for Android that supports 10-bit high dynamic range (HDR), and richer color for displays that support HDR while being backward compatible with regular JPEG. New for all users is the regional setting. This allows you to set regional app preferences for distance (meters vs miles), temperature, first day of the week, and more.