The headliner at I/O 2023 was Google’s upcoming Search Generative Expertise, a brand new AI-driven method to look that has digital media publications staring off into the gap and questioning their life decisions. But in addition, Android 14 will allow you to customise your wallpapers and ask AI to provide you with snappy comebacks in textual content messages, so all of it evens out. Or one thing.
Google launched the primary developer preview of Android 14 in February, and the second beta dropped(Opens in a brand new window) this week at I/O. A remaining launch is scheduled for “later within the 12 months,” Google says. On the firm’s annual developer convention this week, we obtained a peek at consumer-focused AI customization choices for the brand new cellular OS, plus a number of extras for these with older handsets.
A few of these enhancements are coming to all Android gadgets, whereas others are Pixel-exclusives. Here is what we’re trying ahead to testing out.
Emoji and Cinematic wallpaper (Credit score: Google)
1. Rock Across the AI-Generated Clock
Google’s Materials You(Opens in a brand new window) design method helps you to customise your Android gadget with a sturdy collection of dynamic wallpapers and complementary colours. Android 14 will add new lock-screen customizations, together with clocks, shortcuts, and wallpapers.
Cinematic wallpaper, for instance, turns photographs in your library into 3D photos, whereas emoji wallpaper helps you to customise your gadget utilizing emoji mixtures, patterns, and colours. Search for each to roll out first on Pixel gadgets in June.
Generative AI, in the meantime, will allow you to create a wallpaper from textual content prompts when it lands on Android gadgets this fall.
2. Enhance Your Texting Expertise With Magic Compose
Are your texts getting boring? Much like Good Compose on Gmail, Magic Compose for Android provides you a helpful writing device, letting you reply to others with messages advised by AI. These may be easy automated messages, or extra verbose, stylistic replies that make your messages appear extra skilled. You too can use Magic Compose to mimic well-known writing kinds, must you occur to really feel like roleplaying as Shakespeare on a given day. Good Compose rolls out this summer time in beta.
(Credit score: Google)
3. Banish Dangerous Photographs With Magic Editor
In case your Photoshop abilities are subpar, the AI-powered Magic Editor for Google Photographs guarantees to let individuals make “advanced edits with out pro-level modifying ability.” Dynamically edit photographs to take away objects or reposition topics for Instagram-worthy snaps. Google used the instance of eradicating a bag strap or brightening the sky in a photograph as a result of “typically the distinction between a so-so image and the right shot comes all the way down to getting the framing good,” the corporate says. Choose Pixel telephones will get entry to Magic Editor later this 12 months.
4. Make Your Social Posts Pop
Talking of Instagram photographs, Google is including help for Night time Mode and 10-bit HDR video in social apps. Android 14 will even get Extremely HDR(Opens in a brand new window), “so you may take and look at photographs with shiny colours, crisp shadows and all-around superb definition.”
(Credit score: Google)
5. Improved Discover My System
As soon as your Android gadgets are loaded up with the newest and biggest options, be sure you do not misplace them. An upcoming replace to Discover My System(Opens in a brand new window) is not unique to Android 14, nevertheless it’ll roll out this summer time alongside the brand new cellular OS. As soon as launched, Discover My System will faucet into “over a billion Android gadgets the world over that will help you find your lacking belongings like headphones, tracker tags, and even your telephone through Bluetooth proximity.”
At the moment, Discover My System locates lacking devices which are related to the web and have location capabilities turned on. However that is not tremendous useful in case your telephone has been snatched from a bag or pocket out within the wild. So utilizing Android gadgets casts a wider internet, much like how AirTags use Apple’s community of gadgets to maintain tabs on the tracker. (Finally, each OSes would possibly play good with one another with regards to monitoring.)
Google says Discover My System will work with Bluetooth trackers from Tile, Chipolo(Opens in a brand new window), and Pebblebee(Opens in a brand new window). The Pixel Buds, in addition to headphones from Sony and JBL, will even “be part of the Discover My System ecosystem quickly,” Google says.
(Credit score: Google)
6. Enhanced Location Safety
Trackers are nice for retaining tabs in your gadgets, however they’re additionally being utilized by dangerous actors to stalk individuals. The issue is most blatant when individuals use AirTags to trace these with an Android gadget. Until you obtain a particular Android app, or hear the audible alert, you will not get alerts in regards to the unknown gadget. Google’s resolution is unknown tracker alerts, which is able to provide you with a warning if it detects a tracker not linked to your gadgets. See on a map the place the monitoring originated, disable the tracker, or proactively seek for them earlier than an alert seems. Google says(Opens in a brand new window) this can “work with broadly used Bluetooth trackers, together with Apple AirTags and all trackers suitable with the Discover My System community.” It launches later this summer time.
