Google has just launched the first developer preview of Android 14. As the name suggests, this first “public” version of Google’s latest mobile operating system update is primarily aimed at app developers to do run their products on Android 14. At this time, this preview version is designed to work on Google’s Pixel phones, from the Pixel 4a to the latest Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones.
Since this is a developer preview, most of the new features and improvements in this release can be found under the hood. However, there are some interesting additions in this first version. For one, the operating system will now allow font scaling of up to 200%. This should make it easier for visually impaired users to read text in the operating system.
Another new addition is the Grammar Inflection API. This will allow app developers to add support for languages that modify their grammar based on the gender of the person they are addressing.
Google has also laid out a schedule for future Android 14 releases. It plans to launch an updated version of the developer preview in March, and the first beta is scheduled for April. More betas will be released in the coming months, and Google is currently planning near-final builds, known as “platform stability releases,” which will be available in the June-July period. The final version of Android 14 will be released sometime after July, but there’s no further word on specific dates.
