Android 14 Beta 4 is rolling out today for eligible Pixel devices. For folks keeping track of the development cycle, this is the last expected major release before it hits the stable milestone and is ready for the masses. This latest version also picks up support for the brand new Pixel Fold as well as the Pixel Tablet, which means it's the last chance for the app developers to get those tuning-and-testing toes wet before Android 14 is released.
In its usual fashion, Google hasn't announced any new additions to Android 14 in this build, other than what we already know about. Due to the fact that this is the second "Platform Stability" release, developers are advised to start final compatibility testing for apps, APIs, SDKs, and libraries and release compatible app versions knowing that how Android 14 works will not change from now until the public launch.
Although the Mountain View giant is generally past the point of major changes this late in the game, there is one little thing worth mentioning: A space-themed Easter egg! To activate it, open Settings > About phone > Android version and repeatedly tap on the Android version section until you see the Android 14 logo floating in space. At this stage, just hold down on the logo for a while, and you should be able to see the stars speed by. It will eventually end up with a nifty space flight simulation.
The new version has a build number of UPB4.230623.005 and a Google Play Services version of 23.18.18, accompanied by the Android Security Patch Level of July 2023. As usual, the company has posted a hefty list of squashed bugs, which can be found below:
Developer-reported issues
Other resolved issues
- Fixed an issue that caused the
CredentialManager registry to fail when using more than one set of credentials. - Fixed issues where the HealthConnect API returned null pointer exceptions in some cases to calling apps.
- Fixed issues that could cause boot loops and "Application not responding" messages on some devices.
- Fixed an issue where some elements on the system UI didn't retheme correctly when switching between day and night modes.
- Fixed a system issue that caused the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) window to be unresponsive when using an app (such as Google Maps) in PiP mode and then locking the screen and reopening the app by tapping the notification on the lock screen.
- Fixed an issue where the lockscreen wallpaper was sometimes reset to a blank, black screen when setting a new wallpaper for the home screen.
- Fixed issues that caused poor UI animations in the launcher.
- Fixed an issue where an intent picker dialog was incorrectly shown during work profile setup, which interfered with a user completing setup successfully.
- Fixed an issue that caused the rounded borders on notifications to display incorrectly.
- Fixed an issue where a device could sometimes become unresponsive if eSIM was disabled.
- Fixed an issue where the lock screen sometimes got stuck with a blank, black screen.
- Fixed an issue with
ConnectivityService that could cause a device to crash and restart in rare cases. - Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the system volume slider to be stuck on the screen.
- Fixed issues where the titles of some Settings pages were not announced correctly and some areas within the system Settings app couldn't be accessed when TalkBack was enabled.
- Fixed an issue that could cause fingerprint enrollment to fail if the device was rotated during enrollment.
- Fixed an issue where connected Bluetooth devices were not ranked correctly in the system audio output switcher.
- Fixed an issue where the notification shade didn't close after tapping a notification to launch an intent. Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the analog clock to fail to display when viewing wallpaper preview.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused only a right-side Bluetooth earbud to be paired.
- Fixed issues that prevented app launch animations from playing correctly.
- Fixed an issue where notifications from a prioritized conversation were erroneously dismissed when the group of non-prioritized notifications was dismissed.
- Fixed an issue where the sharesheet sometimes crashed after pressing the copy button.
- Fixed an issue where the UI didn't return to the sharesheet workflow if a user edited an image from the sharesheet.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused Face Unlock to fail.
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused a USB headset to consume additional power when connected to a device that was making a call using Voice over LTE (VoLTE).
- Fixed a null pointer exception that sometimes caused the launcher to crash after launching an app.
- Fixed an issue where, when using a device with a work profile, the Google Play Store app in the work profile would hang or crash when launched.
- Fixed various issues that caused the system UI to crash in some cases.
- Fixed other various issues that were impacting system stability.
If you're really curious to see what all the Android 14 hype is about, it might be worth jumping on the beta bandwagon — otherwise, there are only a few short weeks to go before this year's big upgrade is ready for everyone. Nonetheless, any Pixel phone already enrolled in the beta program should receive an incremental OTA update. Even if that's not working, there's always the manual method of downloading the factory images and sideloading the OTA.
Source: Android Developers Blog, Android Beta Program on Reddit
