Android 14 Beta 1 was released a few days ago and we can already get an idea of the changes that are expected to come in the next versions of the Google system. This is possible thanks to the 9to5Google developers who managed to enable some new features that are still only disabled in lines of code in this version.
Lock screen customization
One of the first innovations is the new option to customize the lock screen. Starting with the clock, a function can be activated that allows changing or changing the clock. With it, the user can change the color, size and brightness of the clock.
The Size option has only two variants: Dynamic, which resizes the clock, making it big when there are no new notifications, and shrinking it when there are notifications. The other option is the small clock, which is always scaled down.
The second novelty is the option to customize the lock screen shortcut keys. It allows the user to choose from predefined shortcuts to activate functions by swiping from the right or left area of the screen when the mobile phone is locked.
Shortcut options available include: None, Video Camera, Silent Mode, Device Control, Camera, Do Not Disturb Mode.
These new options can be accessed in the Android 14 Settings > Background & Style menu once enabled.
New background and style menu
Enabling the new options also changed the Background & Style menu. Now it has a new design with two areas: one for the home screen and the other for the lock screen. There are no new options in the home screen, so it’s just a functional change to accommodate the new lock screen options.
New quick setting for font size
The quick settings blocks allow access to various features and customizations through notifications. Google seems interested in adding one to adjust the system font size in Android 14, as we can see in the image below.
The tile can be easily accessible for those who share their phone with someone who has trouble reading small items, as the font size can be adjusted without having to go to the Settings > Display > Font Size menu.
New clipboard overlay
Android 13 was released with an overlay for screenshots and text copied to the clipboard. Now, in Android 14, this feature is said to get an improved version that takes up less space.
Instead of a pop-up with thumbnails of all screenshots, the new version only shows a clipboard shortcut icon, which opens thumbnails when tapped and takes up less useful screen real estate.
Screen capture via app
The latest feature enabled in Android 14 Beta 1 was per-app screen recording. It works natively and allows you to select a single app to record, meaning incoming notifications and other apps will not appear on the recorded media.
The new dialog opens when starting the system screen recorder. You can still record the entire screen or select an application. It is also possible to choose whether ringtones are shown in the recording and whether it contains audio. Despite everything, it is not possible to record the system screen even with the function activated.
In this way we can understand that some of the manually activated features can be released in Android 14. However, it is worth remembering that the same thing has already happened with features that have been moved to Android 13. So this is just a preview of what is possible to be activated or not at the end of the system release.
