After announcing sequel foldables last month, Motorola has finally provided an Android 14 update to its 2023 Razr and Razr+ devices.
Motorola first launched the Razr+ in June 2023 to wide praise from critics and users alike. The later release of the more affordable Razr (2023) in the second half of the year was similarly met with good impressions. However, one worry was Motorola’s iffy track record in software support.
Despite offering a solid timeline for updates, Motorola left a long delay in bringing the next major version of Android to its 2023 Razr foldables. As we pointed out recently, Motorola still hadn’t pushed or even really talked about Android 14 for its previous Razr models.
That’s finally changed.
As spottedbysome users, Motorola has started rolling out Android 14 for the Razr+ (2023) and Razr (2023) in the US. The update is rolling out to both devices and carries the May 2024 security patch along with it. For the larger Razr+, the update brings various upgrades for the cover display that are present on the 2024 models. There’s also now support for AOD.
The update doesn’t seem to be widely available to all users just yet, but is starting to appear. One user who bought a Razr and also bought one for their spouse says that one of the two has received the Android 14 update, but the other has not.
Motorola seems to be rolling out Android 14 to 2023 Razr models gradually. We’ve not been able to get the update on our Razr+ (2023) yet.
YTechB also spotted that Motorola has quietly put up a support page detailing new features in Android 14 on the Razr 40 series, though the international update doesn’t seem to be available yet.
This comes almost immediately after Motorola launched the Razr (2024) and Razr+ (2024) with Android 14 available out of the box, but around nine months after Google first released the update on Pixel phones.
Following QPR3 last month, the Android 14 July security patch is rolling out today for the Pixel 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Tablet, Fold, 8, 8 Pro, and 8a. Compared to the delays last month, it’s coming sooner, though the Pixel Watch update rolled out first on Monday.
There are 10 security issues resolved in the Android 14 July patch dated 2024-07-01 and 19 for 2024-07-05. Vulnerabilities range from high to critical. The dedicated bulletin for Google devices lists 4 additional security fixes.
The Pixel 8 series has its own .005 build, while everything else is on .004 this month. There’s a separate Telus Australia build for the Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and 8a.
In addition to the Feature Drop, Google is rolling out QPR3 to Android 14 with the June 2024 security patch for the latest Pixel devices: 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Tablet, Fold, 8, 8 Pro, and 8a.
As the last major Android 14 update before Android 15, QPR3 is light on user-facing changes. For example, the Suggestions section of the Widgets list now shows app icons.
There are a few tweaks in Settings from the “Passwords, passkeys & autofill” rename to a new Display > Touch sensitivity menu that houses the existing Screen protector mode. Under Sound & vibration > Vibration & haptics, there’s a new “Keyboard vibration” toggle that replaces the Gboard preference.
In Security & privacy > More security & privacy, you’ll find “Allow camera software extensions”: “Enables the default software implementation of advanced camera features, such as Eyes Free videography.”
As seen in the cover image, Google has updated the Android 14 easter egg ahead of Android 15 (V).
There are 22 security issues resolved in the Android 14 June patch dated 2024-06-01 and 18 for 2024-06-05. Vulnerabilities range from high to critical.
The dedicated bulletin for Google devices lists additional security fixes.
For those not on Android 15, Google has released Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.2 for Pixel on May 23, 2024. It comes nearly two months after the last release of this track. A stable 14 QPR3 release is expected at the start of June.
AP21.240305.006 with the May — from March — 2024 security patch is available for supported devices: Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro.
There’s no Pixel 8a build, and only factory images are offered for manual install given an OTA sideloading issue.
Fixed various other issues that were impacting system stability and connectivity.
Back in April, Google said you could ignore Android 15 Beta 1 if you wanted to remain on the Android 14 Beta Program to “receive minor .x updates until the final stable QPR3 release” (in June). The on-device OTA is 18.06 MB update on the Pixel 8 Pro and 40.83MB for the Pixel 7 Pro.
All eligible devices enrolled in the Android Beta for Pixel program that haven’t taken an update to Android 15 Beta will be offered an over-the-air (OTA) update to Beta 2.2.
The Android 14 May security patch is rolling out today for the Pixel 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Tablet, Fold, 8, and 8 Pro. It’s available a day after the equivalent Pixel Watch update.
There are 11 security issues resolved in the Android 14 April patch dated 2024-05-01 and 18 for 2024-05-05. Vulnerabilities range from high to critical.
The dedicated bulletin for Google devices lists seven additional security fixes.
There are four builds across Global, KDDI (Japan), Verizon, and then T-Mobile, C Spire, US Cellular & Cellcom. Update: As of Tuesday afternoon (PT), the on-device OTA is rolling out. It’s a 9.54 MB patch on a Google Fi Pixel 8.
Back in September 2023, Google introduced an updated wordmark and 3D robot design for Android. That new wordmark is appearing on Pixel devices with the Android 14 QPR3 Beta.
On Pixel devices, the boot sequence starts with the “Google” logo appearing in full color and then a Material You Dynamic Color “G” that animates in. “Powered by Android” then appears at the bottom of the screen.
Starting with Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 on some devices, “Powered by” is centered (instead of left-aligned) with the updated wordmark that prominently features a capitalized “A” and other tweaked letters. This is followed by the Android head.
As of QPR3 Beta 2, not all devices, like the Pixel Tablet, have been refreshed with the new Android wordmark.
On newer Android devices, like the Honor Magic 6 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, a 3D version of the head, which appears at the bottom edge of the screen, is used. The Galaxy S24 features the new wordmark.
Meanwhile, QPR3 Beta 2 increases the size of the boot animation as evidenced by the size of the “Google” logo getting bigger when the animation starts.
It’s a shame that this change wasn’t timed with the initial Android 14 release in October, or the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro launch.
With the latest beta updates to Android 14, Google seems to have drastically sped up how fast Pixel devices can install an OTA update. Now, we’re getting a closer look at how that’s been accomplished.
First spotted with Android 14’s QPR2 Beta 1 update, the “Seamless Updates” feature has gotten a whole lot faster on Pixel phones.
Where Google’s updates used to take upwards of 20-40 minutes to install a simple OTA, the new process could be as quick as 10-15 minutes, perhaps even less. It’s extremely impressive and would make anyone wonder how Google pulled it off.
On Twitter/X, APKMirror founder, Artem Russakovskii, discusses a few main points of improvement that seem to be responsible for faster seamless updates. Russakovskii cites “Google’s tests” and Google’s David Anderson (a software engineer working at the company since 2018), but Google itself doesn’t seem to have publically shared this data.
That starts with compression operations, which Android is now parallelizing for a speed boost of 26% in Google’s own tests, Russakovskii explains. OTA updates on Android require the compression of thousands of “small blocks” of data, so putting those operations in parallel certainly speeds things up.
Related to that, Android is now batching operations for those same blocks. Where the OS previously would make 200 separate writes of 4KB files, it now makes a single write of one 800KB file. Google apparently found a 24% reduction in install time with this method.
Finally, the biggest improvement comes in newer Pixels switching from the GZ compression method to the LZ4 method. Google describes LZ4 as “extremely fast compression,” and it certainly shows here.
This apparently results in a 50% reduction in install time but only applies to specific devices. Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro are the only devices eligible for this new compression method, as older Pixels will stick with the slower GZ method. It’s unclear why this is the case, but it could have something to do with the chip. Mishaal Rahman highlighted on Twitter/X that, when installing Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1, Pixel 8 Pro was taking advantage of Tensor G3’s mid-cores to speed things along, and Google specifically notes that LZ4’s faster compression is “scalable with multi-cores CPU.”.
Google is, according to Russakovskii, changing its guidance for other Android OEMs with this new method in mind, so there’s a chance we could see similar improvements outside of Pixel in the future.
3. Google switched the Pixels (I'm getting clarification on exactly which, but at least P7) to use LZ4 compression instead of GZ. This resulted in a 50% (!!) decrease in install time.
All of these combined take a ~25 min install time down to around 6 minutes.
Samsung is pretty widely rolling out its Android 14 update over the past week, but there’s a slight chance you should wait to actually install it, as it seems Samsung has left out a method that prevents burn-in from the status bar.
Burn-in on smartphone displays was once a major problem, with a few years on the same smartphone often resulting in display elements showing up nearly constantly on the screen. A common trick to prevent this is to slightly shift UI elements so they never stay in the same place too long. It’s nearly invisible to the user, but goes a very long way in preventing burn-in.
In One UI 6 (Android 14), though, it seems Samsung might have left this out.
Users on Reddit noticed that the status bar elements (time, battery, etc) no longer seem to shift over time. This was spotted by comparing screenshots over time, with the status bar elements perfectly aligning. Back in One UI 5 (Android 13), comparing screenshots over time showed that the elements would move a fair bit, resulting in an almost blurred effect when stacking screenshots on top of each other as seen below.
Notably, the navigation bar buttons still move, so Samsung doesn’t seem to have given up on this method entirely.
As for what exactly is going on here, it’s really hard to say. It’s entirely possible that Samsung has just adjusted screenshots to where they compensate for status bar elements moving, or that the company is using a new method for preventing burn-in. It’s also noteworthy that the comparison is made on two different devices – a Galaxy S23 Ultra on One UI 6 and a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra on One UI 5.
In any case, it’s at least a little worrying, and we’ll be curious to see if things change with further updates.
One UI 5 (1st photo) vs One UI 6 (2nd photo)
Samsung posts a new Android 14 update schedule for over 50 Galaxy devices
Samsung’s Android 14 rollout is well underway this week, and the company has now posted an updated schedule for the release, which details over 50 devices set to be updated over the next couple of months.
In Germany, Samsung has posted (as spotted by SamMobile) a new schedule via the Samsung Members app that details over 50 different devices set to get Android 14. The updated schedule shows updates going through February 2024, with the bulk of the work being done in November and December of this year.
Of course, we’ve heard this story before. Earlier this month, a roadmap posted by Samsung in another European country also detailed the company’s plans before being scrubbed from the web. But there are a couple of reasons to believe this latest roadmap is much more accurate. For one, it has far more devices, and it also lacks specific dates, which are always tough to hit. Beyond that, it’s being distributed through the Samsung Members app instead of the company’s forums, and the Members app is where we’ve seen this sort of roadmap released in the past.
Presumably, Samsung will add this same list to other countries in the days to come. It’s not live in the US as of now.
That’s not to say this is a concrete, definitive schedule. It’s still lacking plenty of lower-cost models, and things are always subject to change. But, that said, this is the closest we’re likely to get.
Samsung Android 14 update schedule
Smartphones
Galaxy S23 – Completed
Galaxy S23+ – Completed
Galaxy S23 Ultra – Completed
Galaxy Z Fold 5 – November 2023
Galaxy Z Fold 4 – December 2023
Galaxy Z Fold 3 – December 2023
Galaxy Z Flip 5 – November 2023
Galaxy Z Flip 4 – December 2023
Galaxy Z Flip 3 – December 2023
Galaxy S22 – December 2023
Galaxy S22+ – December 2023
Galaxy S22 Ultra – December 2023
Galaxy S21 – December 2023
Galaxy S21+ – December 2023
Galaxy S21 Ultra – December 2023
Galaxy S21 FE – December 2023
Galaxy A72 – December 2023
Galaxy A54 5G – November 2023
Galaxy A53 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A52 – December 2023
Galaxy A52 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A52s 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A34 5G – November 2023
Galaxy A33 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A23 5G – January 2024
Galaxy A14 – December 2023
Galaxy A14 5G – December 2023
Galaxy A13 – February 2024
Galaxy A13 5G – February 2024
Galaxy A04s – February 2024
Galaxy M53 5G – December 2023
Galaxy M33 5G – December 2023
Galaxy M23 5G – February 2024
Galaxy M13 – February 2024
Galaxy XCover 6 Pro – December 2023
Tablets
Galaxy Tab S9 – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S9 5G – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S9+ – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S9+ 5G – November 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 5G – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8+ – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8+ 5G – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 5G – December 2023
Galaxy Tab S7 FE – January 2024
Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G – January 2024
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite – November 2023
Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro – January 2024
Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro 5G – January 2024
Galaxy Tab A8 – February 2024
Galaxy Tab A7 Lite – February 2024
Again, the list here certainly isn’t definitive or all-inclusive, but it offers a much clearer picture of Samsung’s Android 14 update schedule compared to what we’ve had thus far.
With Android 14, Google removed the ability to long press an icon on the homescreen to quickly see notifications from that app.
Previously, you’d be able to see any available notifications from an app by holding down on the icon in the launcher or grid. Only one was shown in its entirety with a counter in the corner if there were more. Besides opening it from there, you could also swipe it away.
This was useful if your notification tray was overflowing with alerts, while it went hand-in-hand with the notification dot, which continues to feel like an iOS trait more than an Android one.
In Android 14, long pressing on an icon just shows app shortcuts, as well as App info, Pause app, and Widgets. In fact, now that notifications no longer appear there, Google made it so that those three shortcuts appear as a full list at the top instead of being merged together. The Android team presumably decided to remove notifications and then introduced the tall list.
Android 13 vs. 14
This change was brought up during the Android 14 Beta Program over the summer. In August 2023, Google said the removal of notifications was the new intended behavior and that it “won’t fix.” There’s no reason behind this change, but the company presumably has usage stats.
With the stable launch of Android 14 on Pixel last month, there have been over a hundred new comments requesting the capability be brought back.
Personally, I didn’t notice the removal and have never used that app menu for anything beyond shortcuts and quick access to the App info page. Most users are presumably all in on the notification tray. However, Google does not seem to really be doing anything major with the app long press menu in Android 14, so the restoration of notifications doesn’t seem like it would be overly disruptive.
Samsung has officially launched its Android 14 update, One UI 6, with new features, updated design, and more. Here’s everything that’s new, a list of Samsung Galaxy devices getting Android 14, and everything else you’ll need to know.
What’s new in Android 14 on Samsung Galaxy?
Android 14 is, in itself, a not-so-major update, but it does bring some key changes to the world’s most popular smartphone operating system. Those changes, which we’ve previously detailed, include additions such as support for UltraHDR, improvements to the share menu, lockscreen changes, official support for flash notifications, and more.
Many of the features new on Pixel phones, though, have been in place already on Samsung smartphones, such as the new lockscreens. So what’s new on Galaxy?
One UI 6 is Samsung’s latest Android skin, and built on top of Android 14 it brings some notable changes such as the new “Quick Panel” design for Quick Settings, an option to change the wallpaper based on the time of day or certain modes, expansions to the lockscreen customization options, a new camera widget, new weather widgets, as well as new emoji and a new default system font.
Samsung devices with Android 14 – The full list
On October 30, 2023, Samsung officially launched its Android 14 update to its current flagship phones, just 26 days after Google Pixel devices were updated. That’s six days after last year’s release, but much faster given Pixels were updated much earlier in 2022.
Here’s the full list of Samsung Galaxy devices that currently have Android 14.
This list will be continuously updated over the coming months with the latest additions marked in bold text. Check back regularly!
Galaxy S devices with Android 14
In October 2023, Samsung started pushing One UI 6 to the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra in select countries across the globe. This primarily started in Europe, but has since expanded globally including the United States. In mid-November, Samsung expanded the update to the Galaxy S22 series, as well as to the newly-released Galaxy S23 FE, but only on Exynos models, and the update has also shown up on Galaxy S21 devices.
Galaxy S23 – Available globally
Galaxy S23+ – Available globally
Galaxy S23 Ultra – Available globally
Galaxy S23 FE – Exynos models only
Galaxy S22 – Available globally
Galaxy S22+ – Available globally
Galaxy S22Ultra – Available globally
Galaxy S21 – Available in Europe
Galaxy S21+ – Available in Europe
Galaxy S21 Ultra – Available in Europe
Galaxy S21 FE – Available in Europe, US carriers
Galaxy Foldables with Android 14
On November 21, Samsung started rolling out Android 14 to its latest foldables, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, but only on Verizon Wireless in the US so far.
The first Galaxy A series device to get the One UI 6 update was the Galaxy A54, which picked up the update on AT&T in the US on November 21. A day later, the Galaxy A73 was updated in Iran, and the super-affordable Galaxy A34 and Galaxy A14 5G weren’t too far behind. Samsung has also since released Android 14 for the Galaxy A24 and Galaxy A53.
Galaxy A54 – Available on AT&T US
Galaxy A53 – Available in UK
Galaxy A34 – Available in Europe
Galaxy A24 – Available in Middle East, North Africa
Galaxy A14 – Available globally
Galaxy A73 – Available in Iran
Meanwhile, in Samsung’s Galaxy M series, the Galaxy M53 has been updated in Germany thus far.
Galaxy M53 – Available in Germany
Galaxy Tablets with Android 14
On November 22, Samsung released its first Android 14 update for a tablet, with the Galaxy Tab S9 series now eligible to be updated in most countries, as is the Galaxy Tab S8 series in select regions.
In December, Samsung has also released the One UI 6 update for its newest tablets, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9+ FE, as well as expanding it to other regions on Tab S8.
Galaxy Tab S9 – Available in Europe, US, Canada
Galaxy Tab S9+ – Available in Europe, US, Canada
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra – Available in Europe, US, Canada
Galaxy Tab S9 FE – Available in Europe
Galaxy Tab S9+ FE – Available in Europe
Galaxy Tab S8 – Available in Europe, US, Korea
Galaxy Tab S8+ – Available in Europe, US, Korea
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – Available in Europe, US, Korea
Will my Galaxy device get Android 14?
Of course, not every Samsung smartphone or tablet will get Android 14. The update is being provided in line with Samsung’s current update policy. That means any flagship released since 2021 is eligible, as they all have at least four major Android OS updates. The 2020-released Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Galaxy Z Flip/5G however, will not be updated as Samsung has confirmed following a slip-up on the company’s part.
Generally speaking, any Samsung smartphone or tablet released in the past two years will be updated to Android 14. For slightly older devices, the update will still be available, but only to the more expensive hardware such as the Galaxy S, Galaxy Z, and Galaxy Tab S lineups.
Samsung Android 14 update schedule
The state of Samsung’s official schedule for Android 14 and One UI 6 updates has been a little hit or miss, with one schedule being removed early on. But, in November, the company posted a pretty official-looking schedule to its Samsung Members app in some countries, which gives us a good idea of what to expect.
The list below is based on Samsung’s official Android 14 schedule, and we’re constantly updating it as new devices are updated.
If last year’s Android 13 update is anything to go by, Samsung will likely blow through its core lineup well before 2024 rings in.
