If you’ve got one of Google’s Pixel phones, good news: You’ll be seeing a snazzy-sounding update to Android 14 any day now — if you haven’t already.
Now, the slightly less exciting news: Odds are, once you have that update on your device, your initial reaction will fall somewhere between a “huuuuh?!” and an “uhh, all riiiiiight….” (There may or may not be a quizzical expression of some sort involved, along with the possibility of a perplexed “harumph.”)
That’s because on the surface, Android 14 really doesn’t look all that new or noteworthy. In fact, if the update popped up on your Pixel without warning, there’s a decent chance you might not even notice anything was different at all.
But don’t be fooled. First of all, as usual, Google’s latest Android version has plenty of significant stuff going on under the surface — when it comes to the less obvious yet incredibly important improvements in areas like privacy, security, and performance. And beyond that, remember: Google’s subtly shifted toward a model where system-level updates show up year-round on Android via decoupled apps in the Play Store — something that’s a huge advantage of us on this side of the mobile-tech divide, even if does take some of the oomph out of the annual foundational updates.
All that aside, though, Android 14 actually does have some noteworthy new touches that are worth your while to find. You’ve just gotta know where to look — and, in some cases, how to dig ’em up and discover ’em.
[Psst: If you want even more Pixel magic, check out my free Pixel Academy e-course. There’s so much more to be found…]
Here are five of my favorite Android 14 additions so far. Try ’em out on your own favorite Pixel device, once it has Android 14 on it, and see if they move you from a “harumph” to a “heeeey, not bad!” reaction.
Android 14 feature #1 for Google Pixel phones: Drag text
This first Android 14 goodie might be the goodiest of all — but it’s also one of the least likely for you to find without a nudge in the right direction.
Here it is, though: As of Android 14, your purty ol’ Pixel will let you highlight text in one app and then drag it directly into another — no cutting, pasting, or virtual witchcraft required.
It does require a bit of finesse to make happen, but once you know how to do it, it’s really pretty simple:
First, open up an app with some selectable text in it — like, for instance, Google Keep.
Touch and hold your finger to some text to select it, using the cursor to highlight whatever specific words you want. Then let go.
Now, touch and hold your finger to that freshly highlighted text, and you should see it lift up as if it’s being moved.
Here comes the fun part: While continuing to hold that text with your suspiciously sticky finger, use your other hand to either swipe up or swipe sideways on the bottom of the screen to switch to another recently opened app. (And yes, this move requires you to be using the current Android…
2023-10-10 07:48:03
Post from www.computerworld.com rnrn