Android 14 may not carry the tradition of being named after a dessert, like its recent predecessors. But does it make up for it by having some features that could still make it a sweet deal for users and developers alike?
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If the February preview is anything to go by, then Android 14 promises to be an upgrade to Android 13 instead of an out-and-out revolutionary release. Google seems to have treated the upcoming version as a platform to iron out the issues present in Android 13. Hence, while it’s not the sweet deal that enthusiasts were looking forward to, it has some important changes that enhance the platform as a whole.
This post introduces the changes in the upcoming version of Android and highlights the need to hire android app developers to incorporate the upgrades into your new/renewed Android app. Read on to learn more about how you can use these changes to improve your brand value and customer satisfaction for great business growth.
The Many Changes Android 14 Will Introduce to the Platform
Developers should be aware of the various aspects of the Android operating system to get the most out of the apps they develop. Android 14 brings changes to many of these aspects, affecting even the core functionality of an app. They are listed below.
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1. Core Functionality
These changes affect the foundation of how an app performs on the platform.
2. Apps Can Kill Only Their Background Processes
Android caches apps in the background when you move from one app to another. The user can remove these apps manually by using the task switcher button or the system will automatically remove them if there are too many apps in use. The latter is made possible by developers using the killBackgroundProcesses() API.
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Starting with Android 14, the API will only be able to kill the background process of your app. Until now, that method could be used to forcibly kill other cached apps in the background as well, which while not recommended, was practiced by some developers. This ban helps improve battery backup and performance as other apps needn’t be cold-started due to the involuntary removal of their background processes.
3. Context-registered Broadcasts Are Queued during App Caching
Android 14 is introducing the placement of context-registered broadcasts in a queue when an app is in a cached state. It is similar to queuing behavior that was introduced in Android 12 for async binder transactions.
The queued broadcasts are delivered by the system when the app leaves the background, with multiple instances of the broadcasts being merged into one. Android 14 doesn’t queue manifest-declared broadcasts, and apps can be removed from the cached state for broadcast delivery.
4. Default Denial of Schedule Exact Alarms
Your android app development services providermay have created one or more apps for you earlier that used exact alarms for notifications or actions intended for users. This function allowed those actions or notifications to occur at a set precise time.
With Android 14, the SCHEDULE_NEXT_ALARM function no longer pre-grants permissions to newly installed apps. It is set to be denied by default, which means your users won’t get notifications at a particular schedule as you intended. This needs to be changed manually by your chosen development services provider.
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5. Improvement in Battery Life and Performance
Your app can have the best UI and build the best impression about your brand and services among your user base. But if it causes their devices to drain battery power for providing those functions, then it won’t be long before they reject your app. Many things about your app can be optimized to help it reserve battery during use, with the Android platform playing a significant role here.
Android 14 continues the legacy of new Android versions helping to improve the battery life of devices. Developers can design apps that can make use of the OS’s overall system efficiency enhancement features that are meant to reduce power draw.
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- Multiple background processes can be combined to get rid of the power drawn from multiple needless activities.
- Actionable requests can be presented to applications only when the apps are out of the cached state.
- Apps that don’t need a strict timing schedule, like clocks and calendars, can’t search for resources continuously by setting precise alarms without user permission. This is due to the default denial of scheduling exact alarms, and it can help save battery consumption as fewer background processes are running when the app is cached.
- Google is prioritizing foreground services by applying stricter rules on how they can be used. Now, only the highest priority tasks will run on a device, potentially improving the efficiency and performance of the Android system. This avoids the battery consumption penalty that comes with improving performance.
6. Accessibility Improvements
Those with a disability can have a hard time with the user experience of your app if it doesn't accommodate their needs. Whether you’re having your app development done in-house or via an Android app development company, there must always be the awareness to make the app usable by differently-abled persons to the best extent possible.
Google helps with this effort by having a dedicated settings panel for Accessibility that any user can apply to any app. Your app should be able to change according to the settings applied while still retaining its functionality.
Below are the Android 14 specialties in this department that your app can use.
- Font size can be increased to 200% instead of the earlier 130%, allowing the fonts to scale non-linearly. This lets users magnify the text on the screen to a greater extent, helping even those with poor vision read your app’s content better.
- People with issues related to hearing or memory can heave a sigh of relief as Google has added flash notifications to Android 14. When activated, the screen, camera flash, or both will flash when the user gets a notification. The color of the screen flash can also be customized by the user. This also helps those who miss notifications due to not turning their device off vibrate mode.
- Google is actively seeking to integrate its health and fitness app Health Connect by encouraging developers in that domain to pre-install the app. This isn’t confirmed, but if true, then it can make it easy for users to integrate multiple health apps into a single hub. This helps seniors who are unfamiliar with app navigation on their devices to find and manage their health information in a single spot instead of rummaging through multiple apps and getting confused.
- Language-related accessibility is improved on Android 14 by addressing optimization requirements for several foreign languages. Apps can be adapted to better reflect the idiosyncrasies of non-English speakers. The OS can also dynamically update its contained set of foreign languages within its settings to mirror what’s prevalent in the region of use of the device, including changing the keyboard to display the appropriate characters.
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7. Security and Privacy Improvements
Google has always strived to keep Android users secure, and Android 14 is no exception. It has many new anti-malware features built into it down at a system level. They can prevent known exploits from taking hold. App installation can also be blocked or allowed only if the apps meet certain criteria.
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- Apps won't work if a device is running on Android 6 or below because of the runtime permissions that have been introduced with Android 14 particularly.
- Another security feature relates to dynamically loaded applications. These can be abused by injecting malware into it in older versions but Android 14 marks them as read-only. Thus, the malicious code won’t be executed.
- Passkey support is also available now, a more convenient substitute for passwords. It uses biometrics, enabling enrolled users to easily sign onto devices with swipes only.
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Conclusion
Android has become the chosen OS for most smart devices globally, making app development for it a high priority for businesses. Your business can thrive in the market by incorporating the upcoming version 14 of Android’s changes into your app for the best UX. All you need is to look out for expert mobile app developers for hire, who are well aware of the latest version changes. For the best app development experience, it’s better to go with an external agency as they tend to have experts with the requisite updated skill set for app development. You get multiple advantages like cost and TAT savings that’ll boost your market penetration ability, and subsequently, your growth.
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