Google today announced the release of the second developer preview of Android 14, dubbed DP2. The new version brings many new features as well as performance and privacy improvements.
Like the first developer preview, this build can only be installed on certain Pixel phones, such as the Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Google Pixel 5a, Pixel 5, and Pixel 4a 5G.
A major new feature in DP2 prevents apps from accessing the phone's entire photo and video library, because when an app requests access to photos, the user can choose to grant access to all photos or just some of them. The new update gives users three options: allow access to all photos, allow access to certain photos, or block access to all photos.
Among other features to improve user protection and privacy, the update includes support for passwordless logins through support for the Passkeys standard, making logins to apps and devices easier and more secure.
Google has also introduced new improvements to make Android 14 smoother and less resource intensive, resulting in faster performance and better battery life. The update also removes persistent notifications from the notification bar.
For users of unofficial app stores, Google has introduced a new feature that allows apps to be updated from the same store they were downloaded from instead of the Google Play Store. In addition, Google has improved the app auto-update process in Android 14. The update process will only start when the app is not in use, which solves the problem of suddenly closing the app.
And last month, Google released the first Android 14 beta, which brought better tablet and foldable screen compatibility, new UI customization features, improved background apps, and bug fixes. Google announces that it will release a new beta every month until the end of July.
Google has not yet announced an official release date for the final version of Android 14, but it usually releases a new version every October.