Google Releases Android 14 Beta 2

Google today announced the release of Android 14 Beta 2, which brings premium camera features, lossless USB audio, and more.

“Today, coinciding with Google I/O, we’re releasing the second Beta of Android 14,” Google vice president Dave Burke writes in the announcement post. “Beta 2 includes enhancements around camera and media, privacy and security, system UI, and developer productivity. We’re continuing to improve the large-screen device experience, and the Android 14 beta program is now available for the first time on select partner phones, tablets, and foldables.”

The big news with this release is that it’s not just available on supported Pixel smartphones–including the Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5 and 5a, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, and Pixel 7 and 7 Pro—but can also be installed on a long list of handsets sold by other hardware makers like Lenovo, OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and more.

Here are some of the key new features.

Premium camera experiences. Android 14 adds support for 10-bit high dynamic range (HDR) images using a new Ultra HDR format that is fully backward compatible with JPEG, plus 10-bit compressed still images on supported devices.

Lossless USB audio. Android 14 supports audiophile-level experiences over USB wired headsets.

Health Connect. Currently available as a Play Store downloadable app, Health Connect will be integrated into Android 14 Settings and will be updated via Google Play system updates. It now includes exercise routes that can be shared and viewed on a map, easier menstrual cycle tracking, and other new features.

Data sharing improvements. The Location permission dialog will now highlight when an app shares location data with third parties, plus where they can get more information and control the app’s data access. Users will also get a periodic notification if any apps with the location permission change their data-sharing practices to start sharing their data with third parties.

Beta is just one milestone away from platform stability, the point at which Google will have finalized the Android 14 Software Development Kit (SDK), Native Development Kit (NDK), and user-facing feature set. So the firm recommends that developers begin testing their apps as soon as possible. Google also recommends that developers use the pre-release version of Android Studio Hedgehog to do this testing.

You can learn more on the Android 14 developer site.