Android 14 Beta 5 copies iOS, puts memory booster apps out of business

With Android 14 Beta 5, Google polishes the finer details as it inches toward the official launch date. Beta 5 squashed 29 bugs, 6 of which are for Pixel devices.

The previous Android 14 Beta 4 update packed 34 fixes, 9 targeted for Pixels. This update patches the battery drainage during video playback and background Wi-Fi scanning. The build number for Beta 5 is UPB5.230623.003, and Google Play Services is 23.18.18. The complete list of fixes is as follows:

• Fixed an issue where after unlocking a device using a PIN, TalkBack provides incorrect audio.
• Fixed an issue where Wi-Fi scanning was consuming too much battery.
• Fixed an issue where some pictures would glitch with extra shadow blocks.
• Fixed an issue where in some cases, the fingerprint sensor icon wouldn't appear as expected.
• Fixed an issue where voice-over Wi-Fi wasn't enabled by default.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices where the device loses antenna ranging session information and cannot recover it.
• Fixed an issue where an extraneous white bar would appear in some apps.
• Fixed a background colour issue with the UI used to add a shortcut to the home screen.
• Fixed a launcher issue that was causing frequent crashes and other quality issues.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel tablets where user interaction during the transition from screen saver to low-light clock causes a SysUI crash.
• Fixed a Pixel Fold issue where tapping would fail to wake the device.
• Fixed a Pixel Fold issue where the system buttons would have inconsistent positions after folding and unfolding.
• Fixed an issue causing SysUI crashes when removing an app pair in landscape.
• Fixed an issue the launcher doesn't fully render after setup.
• Fixed an issue where the system displayed an incorrect mobile connection type.
• Fixed an issue where navigating back to exit an app leads to users no longer being able to open the app.
• Fixed an issue where wallpaper previews were sometimes blank.
• Fixed an issue where the system theme changes from yellow to pink after rebooting.
• Fixed an overscroll issue with ScrollView.
• Fixed an issue where certain colour palettes were difficult to see when the lock screen was activated.
• Fixed an issue where users couldn't enable battery sharing if a work profile existed on the device.
• Fixed an issue where a tablet screen inappropriately turned off when docked.
• Fixed an issue where the device policy manager was preventing notifications from appearing.
• Fixed an issue where group notifications couldn't be expanded.
• Fixed an issue where the lockscreen didn't correctly display the clock.
• Fixed various camera issues that were causing crashes and reductions in quality.
• Fixed an issue with power consumption during video playback.
• Fixed a Weather clock rendering issue.
• Fixed an issue where the lock screen customization preview didn't match the end result.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the wallpaper selection screen to crash.
• Fixed an issue where Pixel devices weren't connecting with some routers.
• Fixed a toast search result issue where the colour was too similar with the background colour.
• Fixed an issue where tapping a notification before using facial unlock does not open the notification.
• Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold where two clocks were displayed at the same time when in widescreen.
• Fixed an issue where widgets would overlap and stack incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue where closing the PiP window doesn't stop YouTube playback.
• Fixed an issue with switching call audio sources.
• Fixed an issue where after unlocking a device, only the background appears.
• Fixed an issue with dragging folders to remove them.

Some behavior changes and new features in Android 14 existed for a long time in iOS. It will now allow users to grant partial access to their gallery just like iOS, with three options in the permissions pop-up:

• Select photos and videos: New in Android 14. The user selects the specific photos and videos that they want to make available to your app.
• Allow all: The user grants full-library access to all photos and videos on the device.
• Don't allow: The user denies all access.

Another change to the Android system will put all memory booster apps out of business. Apps can now close only their own background processes, meaning memory booster apps won't be able to close other apps in one press of a button.

Android will manage memory automatically and close processes when deemed necessary. According to the Android Developers blog post,

If your app kills other apps unnecessarily, it can reduce system performance and increase battery consumption by requiring full restarts of those apps later, which takes significantly more resources than resuming an existing cached app.

A complete list of behavioral changes can be found here. Android 14 Beta 5 is supported on Pixel 4a onwards. If you're a new beta tester, back up your data before flashing. The download files are available on the Android website here.

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