Google has introduced the first test version of the open mobile platform Android 14. Android 14 is expected to be released in the third quarter of 2023. To evaluate the new features of the platform, a preliminary testing program has been proposed. Firmware builds are prepared for Pixel 7/7 Pro, Pixel 6/6a/6 Pro, Pixel 5/5a 5G, and Pixel 4a (5G) devices.
Key innovations in Android 14:
- Work continued to improve the platform's performance on tablets and devices with folding screens. Updated guidelines for designing applications for large screen devices and added generic large screen UI templates for applications such as social networking, communication, multimedia, reading, and shopping. A preliminary release of the Cross device SDK is proposed with tools for developing applications that work correctly with different types of devices (smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, etc.) and different form factors.
- Optimized the coordination of resource-intensive background work, such as downloading large files when there is a WiFi connection. Changes have been made to the Foreground Service and JobScheduler APIs to include new functionality for user-initiated data transfer jobs. Requirements have been introduced to specify the type of priority services to be launched (working with the camera, data synchronization, playback of multimedia data, location tracking, microphone access, etc.). Easier to define conditions for activating data downloads, for example, to download only when accessed via Wi-Fi.
- The internal system for delivering broadcast messages to applications (broadcast system) is optimized to reduce power consumption and improve responsiveness. Improved acceptance of registered message streams by applications - messages can be queued, combined (for example, a series of BATTERY_CHANGED messages will be aggregated into one) and delivered only after the application exits the cached state.
- The use of the function of performing operations at the exact time (exact alarms) in applications now requires obtaining a separate SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM permission, since the use of this functionality can negatively affect battery life and lead to increased resource consumption (for scheduled tasks, it is recommended to use activation in the approximate time). Calendar and clock implementations that use precise time activation must be granted the USE_EXACT_ALARM privilege at installation. Publishing to the Google Play directory of apps with the USE_EXACT_ALARM permission is only allowed for apps that implement alarms, timers, and calendars with event notifications.
- Font scaling options have been expanded, the maximum font scaling level has been increased from 130% to 200%, and to ensure that text does not look too large when magnified, a non-linear change in the zoom level is now applied (already large text does not increase as much as small text).
- Provided the ability to specify language settings tied to individual applications. The app developer can now change localeConfig settings by calling LocaleManager.setOverrideLocaleConfig to determine the list of languages ββshown for the app in the Android configuration interface.
- Added the Grammatical Inflection API to make it easier to add translations of interface elements that take into account languages ββwith a gender system.
- To prevent malicious applications from intercepting intent requests, the new version prohibits sending intents without explicitly specifying a package or internal component.
- Improved security of dynamic code loading (DCL, Dynamic Code Loading) - to avoid substitution of malicious code in dynamically loaded executable files, these files must now have read-only access rights.
- It is forbidden to install applications for which the declared SDK version is lower than 23, which will block the bypass of permission restrictions through binding to old APIs (API version 22 is prohibited, since version 23 (Android 6.0) has a new access control model that allows you to request access to system resources). Previously installed applications that use the old APIs will continue to work after the Android update.
- The Credential Manager API is proposed and support for Passkeys technology is implemented, allowing the user to authenticate without passwords using biometric identifiers such as a fingerprint or face recognition.
- Android Runtime (ART) implements support for OpenJDK 17 and the language features and Java classes it provides, including classes like record, multiline strings, and pattern matching in the "instanceof" operator.
- To make it easier to test the operation of applications, taking into account changes in the new version of Android, developers are given the opportunity to selectively enable and disable individual innovations through the Developer section in the configurator or the adb utility.
Source: opennet.ru