Android 14 brings significant changes to customization, performance, privacy, and security to the world’s most popular operating system. Compared to Android 12’s radical redesign, it may look dull. When you dig deeper, you’ll find Google’s neat tweaks and thoughtful features to elevate your smartphone and foldable experience. With Android 14, Google focused on quality-of-life improvements and optimized several UI elements for foldables. If yourAndroid phonereceived an Android 14 update, check out the top features below to get the best out of it.
17 awesome Android tips and tricks everyone should try
Supercharge your Android experience with these tips and tricks!
1Lock screen customization
Following in Apple’s footsteps, Google introduced several lock screen customization options on Android. Long tap your device’s lock screen and head to theWallpaper and stylemenu to make tweaks. you’re able to change the clock style, color, size, and left and right corner shortcuts. You can also sync everything with your device’s Material You theme.
2Notification flashes
Notification flashes can be useful if you frequently travel in busy places and miss incoming alerts due to a noisy environment. Go toSettings>Notifications>Flash notificationsand turn on the toggles forCamera flashandScreen flash. From now on, the system flashes the camera light or the screen when you receive an alert. You can also change the screen flash color from Yellow to another shade.
3Bigger fonts
This is another accessibility setting to try on your Android 14-powered device. You are no longer limited to 130% scaling in Settings. you may scale text up to 200% by going toSettings>Display>Display size and text. Google also introduced a non-linear font scaling curve to prevent unusual issues from appearing in this setting.
4Auto-confirm unlock and PIN privacy
Android 14 emphasizes privacy. If you use a PIN to unlock your device, you may turn off animations while entering the PIN. You can also unlock the device automatically if you input a correct PIN of six digits or more. You don’t need to tap Enter. To turn on these security tweaks, go toSettings>Security and privacy>Device unlock>Screen locksettings.
Auto-confirm unlock only kicks in when you use a six-digit or higher PIN for your Android phone.
5Screen recording for a single app
Following the Android 14 update, you may restrict screen recording to a specific app only. Your recorded clip doesn’t show UI elements and incoming notifications. If you switch to another app or the home screen during active recording, the content displays a black feed. When you start a screen recording, selectA single appfrom the drop-down menu.
6Emoji wallpapers
When you open the Wallpaper menu on Android 14, go to the Emoji workshop and check the options to create an eye-catching emoji picture. Select your preferred emojis, patterns, and colors to create a wallpaper for your device. TapInspire meto check the ready-to-use emoji wallpapers you can apply to your device.
7Drag and drop text and images between apps
This is another neat feature Android 14 borrowed from iOS. You can now copy and paste text and images between apps. When you copy text or image in an app, hold it, switch to another app, and paste it.
8Set regional preferences
Android 13 introduced a per-app language option. Google built upon it with regional preferences in Android 14. This niche feature for travelers lets you adjust your regional preferences. Navigate toSettings>System>Languages>Regional preferencesand let apps know your regional preferences so that they can personalize your experience.
9Use an Android phone as a webcam on a PC or Mac
If your PC or Mac has a below-average webcam, use your Android phone’s primary camera as a webcam during your video calls. Unlike the iPhone, it doesn’t work wirelessly. You’ll connect your Android phone to a PC or Mac via a cable and selectWebcamfrom the USB Preferences menu. After your Android phone is connected, change the default camera in your video conferencing apps.
10App pairs
App pairs is a thoughtful add-on for foldable users running Android 14. When you open two apps in split view and swipe up and hold from the bottom, the system creates an app pair. you’re able to now launch these apps with a single tap.
