With Android 14 finally beginning to roll out from different manufacturers, we're bound to see more smartphone models receive the much-awaited system upgrade from Google. More recently, Sony announced that its flagship Xperia 1 V will finally be getting Android 14 via an OTA download.

The update comes with software version number 67.1.A.2.112, in addition to the October 2023 security patch for Android. As per Sony's announcement:

The yearly Android update season is here! The long-awaited Android 14 brings you attractive new features with all kinds of updates and fun. You're going to love it!

Now, with Android 14, if you ever lose a device like your earphones, you can find it using the Find My Device app. Share files and photos between your Xperia device and Windows computer with the new and improved Nearby Share feature. More shortcut customization options have also been added for your lock screen.

And as always, Android keeps the improvements coming on the entertainment front!

As mentioned, Android 14 for the Sony Xperia 1 V comes with enhancements for features such as Nearby Share for Windows, Find My, as well as instant lock screen customization (which works very similar to what we've seen on the Pixel). Sony has also brought over the Video Creator app, which allows users to edit their video clips into more refined content.

One of the advantages of Android is the crazy simplicity of having the option to sideload apps beyond the Play Store. This implies that clients aren't restricted to apps in the Play Store and can download and sideload applications straightforwardly from sites or outsider apps stores.

This is a blade that cuts both ways in light of the fact that while it frees Android up to more customization, it can likewise make the way for security and similarity issues. For this reason in Android 14, Google is presently presenting another admonition framework at whatever point clients endeavor to sideload an update to some research made apps.

Assuming that a client endeavors to sideload a Google application update, they will see an admonition popup inquiring as to whether they need to refresh the application, and that on the off chance that clients decide to refresh the apps along these lines, they could leave their gadget open to getting updates "from any source" from here on out. Clients can decide to continue at any rate or drop the update.

Right now apparently this main applies to research's center applications like Play Administrations. This is somewhat of something to be thankful for in light of the fact that there are a few worries that Google could be endeavoring a walled garden approach through "update proprietorship", implying that the organization will restrict updates that get through the Play Store.

This admonition and the capacity for clients to continue in any case proposes in any case, yet it is conceivable that it could change from here on out and apply to non-Google applications also. That being said, there truly isn't a justification for the typical client to refresh their center Google apps by sideloading so we envision that this shouldn't present quite a bit of an issue for most, yet for the people who do, this popup is something you can anticipate following the Android 14 update.

It is generally recommended and advised that when you're on a plane that you put your phone in airplane mode. It's also not a bad idea from a battery standpoint because since you won't be getting cellular reception while up in the skies, airplane mode can be a good way of conserving battery as well.

That being said, we imagine that some of you might forget to do that when you get on a plane, but based on a recently discovered Google patent by Parkifly, it appears that the company has come up with a system that would basically be able to detect when you've boarded an airplane and enable the mode for you automatically.

According to the patent, how this works is based on several factors. For example, it can use your device's location along with other things like the altitude, pressure, speed, and even background noise levels. When it detects those things, it will assume that you're on a plane and airplane mode can then be activated automatically.

It's actually quite an interesting idea and also a potentially useful one, but given that this is a patent, there's no guarantee that Google has concrete plans to make it a reality or if they're simply trying to protect an idea that they could then potentially license out to other companies who might want to use it.

Multitasking on our phones is tricky compared to our computers. With PCs, using your mouse to drag and drop files from one location to another is easy and intuitive. On our phones it's a different story.

The good news is that come Android 14, Google will be introducing a new way to multitask. This was discovered by Nail Sadykov, editor of the Google News Telegram channel, in the latest beta of Android 14. Basically what this feature does is that users can select files, images, or text, hold onto it, and then drag and drop it into another app.

So for example if you wanted to copy text in a website and paste it into a note app, you can just select the text, drag it and pull up the multitasking window, and then drag it to the app you want to drop it in. Prior to this, Android would basically ignore any gestures while you were holding onto a file, image or text.

If this sounds familiar, it is because it is something that Apple had previously introduced in iOS 16, so now it looks like Android users will be able to enjoy the same conveniences as well. Android 14 is scheduled to be released later in the year so it might be a while before we are able to use it ourselves, assuming Google doesn't change or even shelve the feature before then.

Biometric security is superior compared to traditional PINs and passwords, simply because they cannot be guessed using brute force methods. But there are times when you might have to enter your phone's PIN to unlock it, like when you reboot it, or if for some reason your fingerprints aren't recognized.

If you're wary about entering your PIN in public, especially since you don't know if there could be some busybody snooping over your shoulder, then you're in luck. According to an upcoming Android update, Google has introduced a new security/privacy feature called "Enhanced PIN privacy".

Basically what this does is that it disables animations when you enter your PIN, making it harder for someone to see which numbers you could be pressing. Right now when users enter their PIN, the circle expands into a rounded square, which could give away your PIN combination to someone who might be peeking at your phone a bit too closely.

By disabling the animation, and if you're fast enough, it will make it a bit harder for people who might be looking over your shoulder. It's not exactly foolproof, but it's better than nothing. The feature is currently in the Android QPR3 Beta 2 which means it isn't available to the public yet, but it should make the cut in the next update (hopefully).