The Android development team at Google is ready with the first beta version of Android 14. Beta 1 is available for developers enrolled in the Android Beta program.
In this release, developers can expect updates to the system UI, additional graphics capabilities, and privacy and security features.
The UI has been updated with a more prominent back arrow when using gestures to navigate and the ability to add custom actions to system sharesheets.
One of the graphics updates is that you can now query the path API to discover what is inside of paths. The API was also updated so that you can interpolate between paths with matching structures.
This release also adds the accessibilityDataSensitive attribute, which allows apps to limit visibility of specified views to accessibility services. According to the team, this attribute can be used to protect user data and prevent critical actions from being unintentionally executed, such as transfering money or checking out in a shopping app.
Even though this is just the first beta of many, the Android team recommends developers begin testing their apps for compatibility with Android 14.
