Android 14 Will Add More Customization To Your Home and Lock Screens

At Google I/O on Wednesday, VP of Engineering at Android David Burke new customization features coming to Android 14 later this year. Engadget reports: The tools build on the Material You design system Google introduced in 2021 by allowing users to create a custom wallpaper by picking a few of their favorite emojis. One of the new tools allows you to add up to 14 emojis to a single wallpaper. You can then pick a pattern and a color to bring everything together. Once the wallpaper is on your home screen, the characters will react when you tap on them. If you want something more sentimental, there's a separate option to create "Cinematic" wallpapers. The feature uses on-device neural networks to animate your favorite photos. Once the photo is on your home screen, tilting your device will cause it to move, giving the image more depth and life than it would have had you not used the new feature. Burke said both cinematic and emoji wallpapers would arrive on Pixel devices next month.

Come the fall, Google will also introduce a built-in AI image generator within Android's customization menu. You can use the tool to create wallpapers you can't find online. It comes with pre-populated prompts you can tweak to make the process of guiding the AI easier. Once you add an AI wallpaper to your home screen, Android's Material You system will automatically color-match all the user interface elements, including any app icons, so they don't clash with one another. Android 14 will further augment those tools with the addition of new clocks and shortcuts you can add to your lock screen. And if colors aren't your thing, Google also plans to add a new monochromatic theme for those who prefer a more understated look. At I/O, Burke also previewed Magic Compose, a Messages feature that will use Google's generative AI technology to write texts for you. The tool comes with multiple style settings you can use to give your messages a different flair. Google plans to beta test Magic Compose this summer. Separately, Google said after the keynote that Android 14 will add support for Ultra HDR, allowing for photos that feature more vivid colors and detailed shadows.

Finally catching up to Windows CE

[ebunga]

Wow. I can't believe it. Almost as functional as Windows CE. Maybe they'll make notifications and alerting actually tolerable by doing what BlackBerry did 20 years ago.

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[NotEmmanuelGoldstein]

.. notifications and alerting actually tolerable ...

90% of my system notifications (which don't use the 'System notification' icon) come from the manufacturer, Samsung. They're always changing my settings, not allowing a default choice (and "Samsung" is always highlighted on the dialog that must be answered every time). Their bullying is forcing the realization, that the only acceptable phones are Google and Apple (which have hardware/software vertical integration).

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[aRTeeNLCH]

That's strange, I've had my Galaxy S22 since November 22, and I rarely get anything from Samsung or a Samsung app. The Galaxy Store informs me about once a month about available updates, and even if I don't install all available it won't bug me until additional apps have updates the next month or so. Oh yeah, they make a new firmware available once a month, but that's a feature in my eyes.

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[dbialac]

My Z Flip 3 will bug me every several days if I don't do an update right away.

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[aRTeeNLCH]

That sucks big time. System update or app update?

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[dbialac]

System update. The latest update bothered me on Saturday and now today.

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[aRTeeNLCH]

Oh, okay, I'm always happy to receive those, once a month, so I install them as soon as I can. But yeah, I can imagine they are naggy... Why don't you install them as the updates are made available? (Note that I know I'm late in the update cycle for my device.)

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[dbialac]

I don't because of past years with system updates. They'd be issued and then some feature wasn't tested properly and the device would be bricked. It happened a number of years ago with the PS3 and has happened more recently (though not always as severely) with Windows. As a result, my attitude is to let somebody else find the problem and get it so I don't have to go through it.

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[aRTeeNLCH]

Makes sense, that's one reason why I went for a very mainstream device, and was happy to find that I'm late in the update cycle, some users get the next version when I'm just done installing the previous one. With tens of millions of devices, there's enough guinea pigs before me...

Re: Finally catching up to Windows CE

[dbialac]

Here's a great example, and it's a mainstream brand:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/mo... [telegraph.co.uk]

Never trust a system update until it's proven not to screw up someone elses device.

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[JackieBrown]

I have a Pixel and my notification screen is flooded all the time. It's almost useless with how many notifications I get.

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[ThePub2000]

I still can't believe how much foresight both Microsoft and BlackBerry had in their designs. I think it was because they were still in that ending phase of designing naively for the user will sell, not reeling the user in with rhetoric will hook them into your quagmire of incompatibility. Thankfully you can more easily exfiltrate yourself from an Android experience than from an Apple one.

thou shalt not

[DrunkenTerror]

i appreciate the heads up so i can redouble my efforts in phasing smartphones out of my life entirely

How about we start with something as simple

[MeNeXT]

as choosing our font color. Or how about being able to control the notification volume without affecting the ringtone volume. How about having options so we can set our settings as we please on our phone rather than having someone dictate it to us. It's plain old stupid that the way to change the font color is to change the wallpaper. What dumbass thought that made any sense?

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[aRTeeNLCH]

Though I totally agree with the general idea of your message, I don't recall not having been able to change the notification volume independently from the ringer volume on Android.

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[dbialac]

How about making Google Assistant not require me to store any information about history, granted I don't really use the assistant I do use for much beyond the weather. I tried one smart device linked to a voice assistant for a day and found it so useful that I forgot I even had it until I wrote this message.

bah!

[Anonymous Coward]

Do any of these "enhancements", allow me to make the lockscreen, a .. you know, freakin' LOCKSCREEN?

I don't want my lockscreen to be on, and have access to ANYTHING. No ability to access the camera. No ability to slide down the control panel or whatever, and turn on the flashlight. No menus. No options. No swiping. I WANT A LOCKSCREEN WITH NOTHING ON IT! Nothing at all, that can be clicked/etc, except for entering the unlock code/etc.

What do I need email on my lockscreen for? Or messages? It defeats

Can we also insert ads?

[chas.williams]

Because manufacturers want to be able to insert ads on your lock and home screen.

Install CalyxOS and it's your phone again

[schwit1]

Or LineageOS. You paid for it, why let others control it and you?

Sure, customize anything we want

[rpresser]

in trivial ways. But let us stop using Dark Mode for the Google Assistant? Not a goddamn chance.

Got too excited there ...

[ThePub2000]

Thought maybe I'd be able to turn off the search bar or maybe Google Now useful. Hell, maybe actually make "Material You" for ME!