☕ Good morning! One of my favorite things to do these days is to play bird videos for my cat via the laptop. She can’t grasp that they aren’t real and winds up looking for the critters behind the screen. Anyway, we’ve got quite a few stories to cover today, so let’s get on with it.

Android 14’s first developer preview is here

Google flicked the switch yesterday and released the first Android 14 developer preview. This is just the first stage in the eventual stable release later this year, but there’s plenty to glean from this preview already.

New features and tweaks

• Google confirmed a host of Android 14 features and improvements yesterday. But things are a little barebones right now.
• Perhaps the most polarizing change is the inability to install apps based on Android Lollipop’s APIs and earlier.
• Google reasoned that these older apps were vulnerable to malware as they don’t take advantage of modern protections (e.g. permissions).
• That’s a very understandable stance, but it does mean that some niche apps and abandoned games are on the chopping block.
• At least you can use some ADB commands to sidestep this restriction.
• Other notable additions are bigger font sizes (from 130% in Android 13 to 200%), a new alarm permission, and a slew of under-the-hood battery tweaks.
• Veteran code sleuth Mishaal Rahman has also uncovered upcoming features like clone/dual apps functionality and a bloatware finder tool.

Want to install it on your phone?

• The good news is that Android 14 DP1 is now available to download on your handset. 
• The bad news is that it’s only for Pixels right now (Pixel 5 or newer, Pixel 4a 5G or newer).
• Nevertheless, you can indeed view our Android 14 install guide if you’re keen to hop aboard.
• Do be warned that this is still a very early version of Android 14, so expect plenty of bugs.
• You therefore probably shouldn’t install this preview if your Pixel is your primary phone. I know I’m skipping it on my personal Pixel 7 Pro.

When’s the stable Android 14 release, though?

• That’s the key question, isn’t it?
• Looking to the past, stable Android 13 launched in August 2022, Android 12 launched in October 2021, and Android 11 launched in September 2020.
• Google also claimed Android 14 will reach feature stability in June and that developers will therefore have “several weeks” to conduct final testing.
• So a Q3 release could be on the cards, but history shows that an early Q4 release is possible too. 
• Google also offers a beta release around its I/O conference in May each year, so we’d expect the same in 2023. 
• The beta release often includes the participation of other smartphone brands, so those without Pixels will need to wait until then.
• In any event, our Android 14 update tracker is live now, so you can check back there for updates from your favorite brand.

Roundup

🤖 Google’s Bard AI stumbles out of the gate, makes costly error in first demo: Shares in Alphabet dropped by over 8%. Oof (Android Authority).

📺 Netflix begins password sharing crackdown in Canada, US next on the list? (Android Authority)

🗺️ Google announces loads of new updates coming to Search, Maps, and more (Android Authority).

🛰️ Secret Russian satellite breaks apart for a second time, spawning debris cloud: The debris could take more than 100 years to fall back to Earth (Gizmodo).

🎨 Wallpaper Wednesday is back with a collection of backgrounds from the team and readers (Android Authority).

🎮 Everything announced at the Nintendo Direct: Metroid Prime Remastered out today, Game Boy and GBA games, and more (Eurogamer).

📞 MVNO Visible will now pay for your service if you lose your job (Android Authority).

🔍 How to detect AI-generated text, according to researchers: The key is randomness (Wired).

📱 We asked, you told us: Plenty of AA readers aren’t planning to buy a new phone in 2023 (Android Authority).

☀️ Bold plan to dim the sun by blasting moon dust into space could help cool Earth: Interesting idea, but it doesn’t actually tackle the cause of climate change (CNET).

Thursday Thing

Palindromes are fun, being words that read the same forwards and backwards (think “nun” or “madam”). But palindromic names are fun too, and Namerology (h/t: Neatorama) has charted their popularity in the US from 1922 to 2021.

It turns out that Ava, Hannah, and Anna were the most popular palindromic names in the US in 2021. Other popular names include Ada, Ana, Otto, and Elle.

Interestingly, the website notes that the most popular palindromic name of all time, Bob, didn’t make the list in 2021. Of course, Bob is short for Bobert Robert, but even the full name has seen a major decline in popularity.

Have a great day!
Hadlee Simons, Editor