Android 14
Google made AV1 video coding support mandatory for Android 14 devices
Android smartphone makers are currently rolling out the Android 13 update for their compatible devices. Meanwhile, Google has started working on the next-gen Android 14 operating system that will come with several advancements including new tweaks for AV1 video coding.
Going by the new information, Google is making AV1 video coding support mandatory for all devices that will run Android 14 OS. Therefore, if smartphone developers want their phones or tablets to run Android 14 OS, they will have to bring AV1 video coding support into the system.
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What is AV1 video coding? It is a free video standard with an improved compression system that allows for huge data efficiency savings without degrading video quality. Making it mandatory for Android 14 will be key to moving forward in the world of high frame rates, 8K resolution, HDR standards, and audio demands.
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As Esper’s Mishaal Rahman shared in his excellent Android 14 preview, the new AV1 requirement is codified in the Android Open Source Project Gerrit. The entry reads:
“As per Android CDD (Compatibility Definition Document) 14, section 2.2.2 and section 2.6, handheld and tablet device implementations must support decoding AV1.”
As a result, those Android device owners who are eagerly waiting for the Android 14 interface, need some modifications to their system.
In addition to this, the new report also suggets that some devices that will launch with the Android 14 operating system will be forced to support 64-bit-only apps, which means it’s finally spelling the end for 32-bit-only applications.
For more information:
Google will introduce a new feature that allows users to turn their smartphones into webcams with Android 14. This feature will enable users to plug their Android phones into a PC and switch the USB mode to UVC (USB Video Class), which will make their phones recognizable as standard USB webcams by other devices.
However, this feature is not enabled by default and requires some configuration by the device maker. The device maker needs to enable a Linux kernel config, configure the UVC device, update the USB HAL, and preload a new system app called “Webcam Service”.
Webcam Service is included in the Android 14 QPR1 beta for some Pixel devices. This app depends on a shared library called libjni_deviceAsWebcam.so. Both the app and the library will be part of the upcoming source code release of Android 14. The webcam device will appear on the connected host as an “Android Webcam”. It uses the Camera2 API and supports streaming at either 720p (1280×720) or 1080p (1920x1080p) resolutions.
Android 14 is expected to be released with the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. It will also bring several new features and improvements to the Android platform.
Android 14
Samsung One UI 6.0 (Android 14) – Latest news, features, eligible devices, and release date
Android 14 (One UI 6.0) update will be a big deal for Samsung consumers having an eligible Galaxy smartphone or tablet. Android 12 brought radical user interface tweaks, which have been refined in the Android 13 update. And Android 14 focuses on performance and efficiency.
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One UI 6.0
Flagship Samsung devices ranging from the Galaxy S21 series to the latest Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 foldables are eligible for the One UI 6.0 update, powered by Android 14. Besides, there are a lot of Galaxy phones and tablets launched with Android 12, which are also on the eligibility list!
One UI 6.0 Features
All the Security and Privacy related features and improvements of Android 14 are included in the One UI 6.0 update. Samsung doesn’t rely on Google’s Android when it comes to the user interface as Galaxies offer the best and clean user experience with One UI.
The new One UI software introduces a redesigned Quick Panel, a new default font, and tweaked toggles, and elements across the user interface. There are plenty of new features that empower Galaxy users to make the most out of their smartphones.
One UI 6.0 Eligible Devices
In the Galaxy Z series, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 are eligible for the new OS. In the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S23 series will get One UI 6 first, however, it will also be rolled out to the Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy S21 series (FE included).
Samsung offers two major Android upgrades to every Galaxy device (from Galaxy A, M, and F lineups). It means, if your device launched with Android 12 out of the box, it will surely get the Android 14 upgrade. Some A series devices are also eligible for three OS upgrades, hence, check the complete list below:
Samsung One UI 6.0 List: Which Galaxy devices will get Android 14 update?
One UI 6.0 Release Date
Within 2022, the company rolled out the One UI 5.0 update for almost all eligible Galaxy models. And February became an excellent month for flagship Galaxy devices that received the One UI 5.1 feature drop.
Post completion of the One UI 5.0 rollout, Samsung promised that it would further strengthen its collaboration with chip makers (i.e. Qualcomm) and Google.
As promised, this year, the company will try to deploy One UI even faster and more reliable software for Galaxy. In late August, Samsung confirmed SDC23 for October 5, which is the official launch date of One UI 6.0.
One UI 6.0 Latest News
September 21: Samsung said to expand Android 14 One UI 6 Beta to Galaxy Z Fold 4, Fold 3, Flip 4 and Flip 3 next month.
September 19/20: Samsung launched the Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta Program for Galaxy S22, S22 Plus, S22 Ultra, S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra smartphones.
September 19: One UI 6 Beta 3 Hotfix: The new ZWIB update for the Galaxy S23 series brings fixes to the reset issue during the AP power type setting when using Wi-Fi AP that supports 6GHz.
September 14: Samsung has kicked off the third Android 14-based One UI 6 beta update for the Galaxy S23 series
September 8: Samsung announced Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta Program for the Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G smartphone users.
September 6: Select Galaxy S23 series users in Europe received the third Beta of One UI 6 software.
August 31: Samsung expanded the Galaxy S23’s One UI 6 Beta to India, Poland and the UK along with releasing Beta 2 in the US, South Korea and Germany.
August 25: It has been revealed that the company could release the 2nd One UI 6 Beta on August 29, while a tipster claims it may be canceled.
August 19: After the One UI 6 Beta 1 update, Samsung is rolling out the hotfix update for Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy S23 Plus smartphones in Korea.
August 10: Samsung has finally started the Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta Program for the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra in South Korea, Germany and the US.
August 2: New August 2023 One UI 6 Beta build for Galaxy S23 has been spotted on test servers. The last digits of the test firmware have changed from 3ZWGG to 3ZWH2.
July 28: Samsung One UI 6.0 is being prepared for the Galaxy S23 series, which adds the ability to sharpen text and erase distractions in document scans.
July 21: The Galaxy S21 FE and Galaxy A52 LTE also join Samsung flagships with Android 14 internal testing build.
July 19: Samsung’s Galaxy S21 series enters One UI 6 (Android 14) internal testing phase alongside the Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A52s.
July 11: Android 14 Beta 4 started to roll out to Pixel devices, bringing the Stable release another step closer. This month, Samsung is likely to start the One UI 6 Beta testing program for Galaxy S23 series.
July 9: Samsung is already testing One UI software on the Galaxy S23 FE, which could probably be the One UI 6. Do note that the Geekbench listing revealed S23 FE comes pre-loaded with Android 13, however, it could change prior to official release.
July 2: One UI 6 Beta is too close to the Galaxy S23 series as the first Public Beta firmware has been spotted on the server for the Ultra variant. After internal test builds, the first Beta build bearing version number ZWFA appears on the server.
June 26: A new One UI 6 build has been spotted by Checkfirm for the Galaxy S23 series. The testing is going underway for Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus with PDA version S916BXXU2BWF4.
June 18: In the first phase, Samsung reportedly begins Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta for the Galaxy S23 series in the third week of July.
June 06: The Galaxy A54 to get One UI 6 (Android 14) Beta, internal testing begins
June 05: Samsung confirms One UI 6 and Good Lock features finding underway, read more here
June 04: According to tipster Dohyun Kim, Samsung could release the One UI 6 Beta for the Galaxy S23 series in mid-July this year. The source added that Samsung’s stable Android 14 update will be available in October.
June 02: Samsung has recently released support for One UI 6.0 software to the native Calculator application.
May 22: One UI 6 Beta (Alpha/internal) build reportedly introduces slightly bigger toggles in the Quick Settings panel.
May 13: At I/O, Google unveiled Ultra HDR support for Image, which arriving in Android 14, and probably in One UI 6 too for Samsung Galaxy devices.
May 10: Samsung is already testing the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 firmware on the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphones in a handful of countries.
May 05: Starting with Android 14, Google’s goal (via 9to5Google) is to “make it easier for developers to create apps that work consistently across different Android devices.”
Samsung is described as the “first partner” today, with One UI 6.0 making it so that “foreground services of apps targeting Android 14 will be guaranteed to work as intended so long as they are developed according to Android’s new foreground service API policy.”
“To strengthen the Android platform, our collaboration with Google has resulted in a unified policy that we expect will create a more consistent and reliable user experience for Galaxy users.” – Samsung
April 27: Android 14 Beta 1.1 update rolled out for supported Pixel phones. The release fixes severe issues such as Wallpaper and style crashing, abnormal fingerprint scanner as well as includes optimizations for the system stability to provide users with better user experience.
April 13: Google released the first Beta build of Android 14, bringing new features to Pixel phones ahead of the stable release. The new OS brings Dynamic Back Arrow, improved per-app language preferences, graphics upgrades and privacy improvements.
April 02: We’ve compiled a list of features that Samsung may introduce with the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 software. The features are suggested by consumers and the software team member forwarded them to the development team for the function as follows:
- Samsung Phone App
- Document “Read Text Aloud”
- Samsung Notes
- Samsung Messages
- S Pen
- Samsung Health
- Modes and Routines
March 22: Google takes ideas from One UI to make Android 14 a user-friendly and feature-full OS, Source 1, 2.
March 21: We tried installing the Android 14 Developer Preview 2 on our Google Pixel 7 unit and it bricked.
March 8: Google kicked off Android 14 Developer Preview 2 for Pixel smartphones with various new features.
March 02: Dashlane confirmed that the Android 14’s final release will bring support for passkeys to apps.
February 8: Google released Android 14 Developer Preview 1 for Pixel devices (Pixel 4a 5G to 7 Pro).
In 2022, Samsung launched the Maintenance Mode feature for Galaxy devices with One UI 5.0. This feature allows you to selectively expose data when you get your smartphone repaired. Now, a new report reveals that Google is working on the same feature for Pixel phones named Repair Mode.
Repair Mode will create a temporary profile on the phone that will protect the user’s data while allowing the repairer to test the phone’s functions. This will be part of the Android 14 QPR1 update, which is expected to be released in December 2023.
According to the information via 9to5Google, Pixel owners will also need a special app to use Repair Mode from Google that is not yet available. However, Maintenance mode on Samsung phones is easy and hassle-free. You don’t have to download any apps to activate it.
It is not clear how repair mode will be activated on Pixel phones. Ideally, there should be a way to enable it from a computer using a USB cable, in case the phone’s screen is broken or not working. This would make repair mode more convenient and secure for Pixel users.