Ahead of the Stable Android 14 release, Google pushed the QPR1 Beta 1 to Pixel devices. The Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 introduces a Dynamic Floating Search Bar tweaking the current Google button’s placement and functionality across the home and apps screen.

In Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1, the Google Search Bar appears as a floating button when you open your app drawer. As discovered by AndroidAuthority, when you are typing out your query, the Google search bar hovers just above your keyboard.

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The new position of the search bar in the app drawer means that you no longer have to reach all the way to the top to initiate a search. Just, tap the floating “G” pill at the bottom of the screen! If you enable the “swipe up to start search” preference you can start typing as soon as you open the app drawer.

At present, the feature is flagged and requires adjustment through the ADB method, which isn’t recommended for end users. For general consumers, Google may revamp how you interact with the Pixel Launcher’s universal search bar with the upcoming release of the December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop.

Samsung has kicked off an Android 14-based One UI 6 Beta 4 update for Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra users in the UK. This update is already available for users in India and the US.

One UI 6 Beta 4 update fixes a bunch of issues related to Samsung Pass, Call Voice Recognition, Google Assistant, and more. In addition, the update improves several fucntions of the device.

Moreover, the changelog also mentions known issues such as the unavailability of the motion photo feature, the infinite reboot problem in the repair mode, and the inability to install the Kids app after updating from One UI 5.0 to One UI 6.0.

Aside from this, the update installs the newest Android security patch released in October 2023 to improve system security and stability.

Users of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series can identify the One UI 6 Beta 4 update in the UK through the PDA version ending with ZWIC. The latest beta update is available for Galaxy S23 users who have joined the One UI 6 Beta program.

Samsung Galaxy S23 One UI 6 Beta 4 update – UK #Samsung #GalaxyS23 pic.twitter.com/KpnwTktv4g

— Samsung Software Updates (@SamsungSWUpdate) September 23, 2023

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.

VIA