Google has officially introduced Android 14 and a number of new features with AI support

Company Google officially introduced the operating system Android 14, which should be available in a stable version during the quarter. During his presentation at the conference Google I/O 2023 however, it was the main topic artificial intelligence (AI), which will be integrated into most Google products from the system to applications. The news was summarized by Google on its own blog.

What are the most significant changes brought by Android 14?

1. A more prominent arrow for the back gesture

The back arrow in Android 13 partially adapts to its background (it switches between black and white depending on what’s behind it) and is often difficult to see because of this. Android 14 is set to change that by including a more prominent symbol. Not only will the lines of the arrow be thicker, but there will also be a background around it in the style of the “Material You” design language.

2. Transparent navigation bar

Android 13’s navigation bar at the bottom offers a thin white strip that mostly blends seamlessly into the background of whatever app you’re using. However, some apps don’t support it, which means you see it in black. However, in Android 14, the navigation bar is transparent no matter what app you’re using.

3. Predictive Back gesture

In Android 13, the Back gesture has only one primary function. Takes the user back to where they were before the last tap. This can either take you back to a previous page within the app you’re using, or close the app and return you to the home screen. Of course, this can sometimes be unexpected and for the user.

So Android 14 solves this problem with a predictive Back gesture that shows you where you’ll be back if you hold the gesture for a while. This should prevent users from accidentally closing apps when they simply wanted to go back a page but ended up on the home screen.

4. Smarter sharing

Sharing in Android 13 has one problem. Often, when sharing an image or other file, you have to painstakingly search for the application through which you want to share the file in the sharing menu. Android 14 allows developers to customize this menu according to what is best for the application’s purpose.

5. Security Improvements

In Android 14, Google plans to limit permissions to access sensitive data to only apps that Google has vetted. Another feature allows the user to disable animations when entering the PIN so that no one sees it when entering it in public places. Android 14 will also allow the user to give apps access to only certain photos, rather than their entire gallery.

6. New background for desktop

Android 14 brings new desktop background options. The first news is Emoji Wallpaper. You just have to choose up to 16 different emojis, which you can zoom in on in different ways, choose a pattern and color design. This creates a unique background with selected smileys that move apart when touched.

He is another Cinematic wallpaper, which uses AI algorithms to create impressive 3D photos from ordinary photos. When the smartphone is tilted sideways, the wallpaper itself will also move. Both new types of backgrounds should be part of the next update of Google services for Google Pixels.

Improved Google Photos and Find My Device

Google has optimized and completely redesigned more than 50 of its applications for tablets. Google Photos at the same time they received an interesting addition. In the mobile application, you will no longer be able to just delete an inappropriate object, but let the AI ​​completely rework the photo. You can move the photographed person, brighten the dark sky, or have a part of the object drawn that no longer fits in the photo.

Search service Find My Device will now support a wide range of devices, from headphones to tablets, from different brands. If you are being tracked by an unauthorized locator, your smartphone will let you know about it. At the same time, Google also cooperates with competitor Apple, because the Apple AirTag added to the Find My Device service was seen at the presentation.

AI support everywhere you look

Thanks to algorithms AI you’re even on Android 14 you generate your own background. It is enough to describe in text what you would like to have drawn, in what style and with the help of AI text-to-image diffusion modelu it will create several wallpapers from which you can choose the one you like the most. The undercoloring of application icons automatically adapts to the new wallpaper in the spirit of the Material You design language.

AI will also be part of the application Google News. When writing an RCS or SMS message, you can press the button with the pencil icon. AI algorithms will offer you to rewrite the message in different styles, e.g. into a relaxed, enthusiastic or artistic style. They will use the AI ​​module Magic Composewhich will arrive on Android smartphones in the form of a beta version during the summer.

Google will also incorporate AI into its own searches. In addition to offering a number of links to all sorts of relevant pages when searching, a section will also appear on the screen that will try to use AI to make a summary for the search question (search query). Since Google is an advertising company, it will also focus on shopping, where it will try to recommend a suitable product with the help of AI.

At the conference, Google also boasted about the integration of AI into the application Google Maps. AI will use them the Immersive View function in 3D view, which will be used to generate content. Of course, AI will also be used for better travel planning. Initially, however, AI in Google Maps will be limited to selected cities only, and only a few others will be expanded over time.

Better Google Bard and the PaLM 2 language model

Google Bardwhich is a direct competitor to ChatGPT from Open AI, should use PaLM 2, which is a new generation language model. Google also uses a label for it state-of-the-art. Bard should now be available in up to 180 countries. Unfortunately, only in English so far. In the near future, however, we should expect an expansion of 40 languages including Slovak.

Bard will also undergo a graphical upgrade and will finally use images. Google then also implements a service into the chatbot Google Lens. It will also be able to analyze visual content, for example in a photo or video. At the same time, it will also please developers, who will be provided with various APIs. Language model PaLM 2 Google then wants to deploy it in a total of up to 25 of its products.

He boasts that he should be able to speak up to 100 languages. It has data sets, websites and all kinds of source codes available for AI algorithms, so it could also be a good helper for programming. There are four versions of the language – Gecko, Otter, Bison and Unicorn. Gecko is targeted for use on smartphones and does not even need an internet connection.