Here’s everything new in Android 14 Beta 4 [Gallery]

Abner Li | Jul 11 2023 - 11:39 am PT

Following last month’s big update with lockscreen clocks and shortcuts, Android 14 Beta 4 for Pixel devices is now available.

We’re diving into all of Android 14 Beta 4’s new features and every single change. (The newest updates will be at the top of this list. Be sure to check back often and tell us what you find in the comments below.) Beta 3 screenshots appear on the left and Beta 4 at the right.

Expect at least three more releases before the consumer launch later this year to Pixel phones. If you want to quickly install the Android 14 Beta 4 on your compatible Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, and Pixel Fold be sure to check out our step-by-step guide.

For reference, here’s everything new in Android 14 Developer Preview 1, DP2, Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3.

Updating…

New profile pictures

Auto-confirm unlock

Settings > Security & privacy > Device unlock > settings gear: Read more.

Unlock automatically if you input a correct PIN of 6 digits or more. This is slightly less secure than tapping Enter to confirm.

Manufactured year

Settings > About phone > Model

New mute status bar icon

Matches volume slider

More obvious on tablets how to split screen

No lockscreen clocks or shortcuts on Pixel Tablet

Dual-column widget picker

Pixel Tablet and Fold support

The Android 14 Beta is now available on a tablet and foldable.

Android 14 easter egg

It very much leans into the space theme with Android 14’s patch logo displayed against stars. Long-pressing — very cool vibration — takes you into a mini-game where you control a spaceship and search: Read more.

Fixed developer-reported issues

Fixed a system issue that caused both notifications to stop appearing and Quick Settings tiles to stop working until the device was restarted. (Issue #287756395, Issue #286542217, Issue #286556831, Issue #286739130, Issue #290217714)
Fixed system issues that sometimes caused VoIP apps to stop recording audio when the screen was locked or the app was put in the background. (Issue #286703227, Issue #286927629, Issue #286917690, Issue #287473522)
Fixed an issue where the title of the currently playing song would abruptly disappear or be replaced with other information when transitioning a device from always-on-display mode to the lockscreen. (Issue #286522735, Issue #239835302)
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented devices from charging or allowed a device to charge but erroneously reported that there were issues with the connected charging cable or accessory. (Issue #278143400)
Fixed a system issue that sometimes caused the Android System Intelligence service to crash. (Issue #286290268)

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.