Here's the Android 14 Easter egg and how you can see it yourself

Every year, Google launches a new version of the Android operating system. In 2023, we were treated to the Android 14 Easter egg. If you’d like to view all the past Android Easter eggs, we’ve got you covered there, too. For now, though, let’s dive into 2023’s secret Android surprise!

What’s the Android 14 Easter egg?

In the world of software development, an Easter egg is a hidden feature. Generally, because it’s hidden, it is not essential for using the software. Instead, it is a fun thing people can find if they have the wherewithal to hunt for it.

Google always puts an Easter egg into Android, and it’s always accessible the same way (we cover that in the next section). Historically, the Easter egg centers around that particular Android release’s number, name, or theme. For example, Android 8 Oreo involved — you guessed it — an Oreo cookie. Android 11’s Easter egg focused on the This Is Spinal Tap! film’s running gag of “this one goes to 11.” You get the idea!

The Android 14 Easter egg centers on space. We’ll show you how to see it for yourself once you install Android 14.

How do I find the Android 14 Easter egg?

It is incredibly easy to see the Android 14 Easter egg on your phone or tablet running the latest version of the operating system.

On your compatible device, follow these instructions to see the Android 14 Easter egg:

1. Head to Android Settings by opening the app in your drawer or swiping down the notification shade and tapping the gear icon.
2. In Settings, scroll down to About Phone and tap it.
3. In the About Phone section, tap Android Version.
4. Once in the Android Version section, tap the Android version number (which should be 14) repeatedly at a quick pace.
5. After some taps of your version number, you should see the Android 14 Easter egg.

With the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 update, the Android 14 Easter egg saw a minor modification. The “Android 14” text no longer appears, and the circle has morphed into a downward-facing triangle. Why this change? Well, it’s a nod to the Android 15 logo

What the Android 14 Easter egg does

When you first activate the Easter egg, you’ll see the official Android 14 logo. It looks like the NASA’s Apollo 14 mission patch logo. The logo will be floating in space.

However, the Easter egg doesn’t end there. If you hold down on the logo for some time, you’ll feel your phone vibrate. This is to simulate the take-off of a space vessel. If you hold it long enough, the logo will disappear, and you’ll see controls for a tiny ship as it floats around in the vastness of space.

At the bottom left, you’ll see the status of your ship’s thrusters, your current coordinates, and your velocity. If you hold down the ship and move your finger, you can move around space. In the upper left, you’ll see a bunch of information, including the name of the star closest to your position, the class of that star, its radius, its mass, and how many objects orbit it.

Using this information, you can navigate your ship to the star. Just move the ship until your coordinates at the bottom left read (0, 0). You can even crash into the star if you like. If you don’t, you can hunt around the star’s orbit to find its celestial bodies and then crash into them.

There is no way to “win” this mini-game. Its entertainment value is purely the exploration of space, which is very Star Trek.

That’s the Android 14 Easter egg! If you’re wondering about Android 15 and when it will arrive on your Android phone, check out our update tracker.