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Android 14 is now accessible to the plenty as public beta testing started earlier this week. In customary Google style, the primary beta construct comes after the corporate launched two Developer Preview builds supposed for app makers to check their software program and iron out compatibility points. Bugs and instability are synonymous with beta builds, however we might hoped Google would iron lots of them out within the developer betas. We couldn’t have been extra sorely mistaken, and right here’s each challenge we present in Android 14 Beta 1 up to now.
Proper off the bat, booting into Android 14 Beta 1 exhibits us an annoying app crash dialog field for a service known as com.android.qns. Somewhat digging reveals this can be a quite widespread challenge, taking place on nearly each Pixel booting into the brand new beta. Google has acknowledged this in-your-face flaw, but it surely seems to be a crucial service linked to mobile connectivity. One affected redditor reported the shortcoming to put or obtain calls.
Repair: Energy cycle
Some individuals had some luck restoring their mobile community connection after power-cycling the telephone as soon as (switching off after which on once more, totally different from a gentle reboot). The service crash dialog field reappears, however mobile connectivity does, as nicely. On our private units, we noticed the crash dialog, however didn’t see absolutely the lack of mobile community connectivity.
Bug: Mobile connection kind lacking from standing bar
Considerably associated to the difficulty with com.android.qns, there are widespread stories of a lacking indicator for the mobile community kind within the standing bar. Normally, the mobile community energy indicator is accompanied by a small icon exhibiting whether or not the telephone is utilizing a 4G or 5G community. With this lacking, it may be quite difficult to know whether or not issues like file downloads will take a minute or just a few seconds. Some stories present longer handover durations from Wi-Fi to mobile and vice versa, or unstable mobile connections. Nevertheless, these seem like remoted one-off circumstances.
Repair: Disappear to reappear
Some Android 14 Beta 1 customers on Reddit have recognized a neat option to restore the mobile connection icon within the standing bar. It entails switching off Wi-Fi in your Pixel after which turning off the Use SIM toggle momentarily earlier than turning it on once more. The choice is situated underneath Settings -> Community & web -> Web –> Gear icon beside your SIM title.
This repair labored on considered one of our affected units, however solely till we locked the display screen. You might even see one other crash report for com.android.qns after the method, tying the service to mobile connectivity, however it’s inconsequential. It seems to be a quite temperamental bug and your expertise could differ vastly.
Bug: Wallpaper & type app is unusable
When the beta dropped, we instantly wished to search out any new wallpapers however couldn’t entry Wallpaper & type settings. A bug within the dynamic theming toggle for icons brought on this, and seems to be quite widespread as nicely. The applet is presently inaccessible by long-pressing the house display screen or by means of the Settings app.
Repair: Chew the bullet
You’ll be able to nonetheless change wallpapers from the Pictures app and dynamic theming for icons isn’t damaged both. Nevertheless, the one identified workaround is quite tedious, entailing clearing the app information for the Pixel Launcher or switching off dynamic theming for icons earlier than updating to Android 14 Beta 1 within the first place. There’s an entry for this drawback on the Google Problem Tracker as nicely, so hopefully this will probably be addressed with a patch.
Bug: Fingerprint unlock doesn’t work
When you have fingerprint unlock arrange, chances are you’ll not have the ability to apply it to the most recent Android 14 beta. Though it’s engaged on our units, a number of customers say the fingerprint unlock is damaged on the lock display screen, and they’re compelled to make use of the PIN or Sample they beforehand arrange as a failsafe. It seems to be an issue with the Android OS’s biometric unlock system, as a result of registering new fingerprints and utilizing the scanner to unlock apps with standalone biometric safety features works simply fantastic.
Repair: Use a unique unlock methodology
This widespread challenge additionally appears to seem and disappear erratically for many individuals. Mostly, the difficulty seems after a reboot, however the scanner works quickly afterward. Customers have filed a bug report, however there’s no momentary repair in sight, besides maybe switching to face unlock. It’s much less safe, however nonetheless works and not using a problem. In case you’re comfy with a PIN or sample unlock, we advise disabling fingerprint unlock so that you aren’t reminded continually of its damaged state.
Bug: Textual content choice unattainable in Latest Apps view
Considered one of our favourite Pixel options allowed deciding on on-screen textual content from the Latest Apps view. Nevertheless, the Android 14 Beta 1 replace appears to have launched a problem on this. The system detects textual content within the Latest Apps view like Google Lens, however doesn’t enable consumer choice or any associated actions like copying the textual content.
Repair: Await Beta 2
Google has acknowledged the issue on Problem Tracker, and will recreate it within the Developer Preview construct. Nevertheless, it has declared the difficulty out of date saying it would not present up on the inner improvement construct, which is barely forward of the general public beta. It could possibly be a temperamental challenge we face, however there’s cause to hope will probably be mounted quickly.
Bug: Adaptive brightness would not adapt
One of many annoying bugs is the adaptive brightness setting merely refusing to work. We haven’t skilled it personally, working the most recent beta, however Reddit customers say the difficulty is prevalent sufficient for Google to take discover and challenge a repair. We don’t see a bug report, although, so the hope is slim.
Bug: Apps are misbehaving
On Android, one of many elementary features you count on is apps working with out errors. Nevertheless, the Android 14 beta is having points with working crucial apps like BHIM UPI (a cost service in India), Google Pay, PayTm, Google One VPN, and so forth. In style video games like Conflict Royale and Conflict of Clans are additionally crashing for just a few customers.
It’s an train in futility to compile an entire checklist of apps that aren’t engaged on the most recent beta, largely as a result of some apps work for some individuals, whereas they don’t for others. In case you attempt uninstalling apps, chances are you’ll discover the UI freeze for just a few moments earlier than responding to your contact inputs. The responsiveness additionally stays laggy for a couple of minutes after uninstalling.
Bug: Notification shade glitches
A few Reddit customers say the standing bar glints continually for just a few moments after knocking down the notification shade. This challenge is quite prevalent, however hasn’t confirmed up on our units but. It could possibly be an issue with the pull-down animation or with the notification shade’s UI implementation itself. The Google Problem Tracker has a report devoted to the issue, so hopefully a repair is on this very leaky pipeline.
Bug: AOD and Ambient Show not working whereas wirelessly charging
This could possibly be associated to the fingerprint sensor challenge on the lock display screen, however no less than considered one of our telephones refuses to modify to the ambient show whereas wirelessly charging. In case you place an unlocked Pixel all the way down to cost, it might usually auto-lock after the stipulated length — this nonetheless appears to occur on Android 14 Beta 1, however as an alternative of the AOD showing as soon as locked, the wallpaper solely goes dim. It is as if the gadget will get caught on the lock display screen when positioned on a charger.
How the display screen appears whereas wirelessly charging
In case you lock the display screen after which provoke wi-fi charging, a screensaver or AOD could not seem, however the indicator for the fingerprint scanner stays. This might danger pixel burn-in of the OLED show throughout the time it takes to cost most Pixel telephones wirelessly. This challenge appears to have gone unreported up to now, however we’re seeing it on considered one of our Pixel telephones right here at Android Police. We additionally famous a peculiarly clean settings web page for Ambient Mode, a Google Assistant characteristic.
Going through these distinguished points and many different sporadic ones with on a regular basis apps and demanding options might be nightmarish, and Google has lots of work queued as much as repair these earlier than rolling out the following replace.
Though this can be a assortment of every thing improper with Android 14 in the intervening time, make no mistake, the OS replace packs a ton of helpful options and behind-the-scenes optimizations for a safer and pleasurable consumer expertise — if you wish to see for your self with out risking these bugs, we did a hands-on with Android 14 Beta 1. We are going to proceed updating this put up as we uncover extra pertinent annoyances, Google’s acknowledgments, and their fixes. Hopefully, the checklist stays quick and none of those make their option to the steady model of Android 14 later this 12 months.