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Android 14 Developer Preview With New Privacy Features, Passkey Support Released: Details

Technology

Last month, Google released the first developer preview of Android 14, and now the company is back with its second developer preview. According to GSM Arena, the new version comes with additional privacy, security, and performance improvements, and continues to improve the experience on tablets and foldable devices.

Google’s official timeline states that after this developer preview, the first beta will arrive in April, followed by three more in the subsequent months.

Android 14 Development Preview 2 includes support for enabling apps to access only selected photos and videos, access them all, or no access at all.

In Android 14, the Credential Manager is a platform API, and this allows apps to sign in with passkeys. In the second DP, there are improvements to the account selector UI style, along with changes made to the API based on feedback on DP1, according to the report.

Apps targeting Android 14, which will be a very small subset at first, will need to be granted privileges to start activities in the background.

DP2 comes with improvements to the Android memory management system, optimizing resource usage while apps are running in the background. There will also be fewer non-dismissable notifications in Android 14, and there are also improved APIs for app stores.

According to the report, Developer Preview II is still, as the name suggests, only recommended for app developers to use for app testing. Once the first beta hits next month, consumers will get easier access, too. Android 14 Developer Preview 2 is installable on Pixel 4a 5G and later Google devices.


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Joanna Swanson

Joanna Swanson is Europe correspondent at the Thomson Reuters Foundation based in Brussels covering politics, culture, business, climate change, society, economies and inclusive tech. With specific focus in breaking news, she has covered some of the world's most significant stories.