As Android users everywhere await the arrival of Android 14 for their respective devices, Google has been steadily pumping out updates for Android 14 beta, and it looks like a new software patch has finally arrived for users enrolled in the Android 14 Beta program for Google Pixel smartphones.
As such, the latest beta update comes by way of Android 14 Beta 5.2, which comes with some new software and security fixes for compatible Google Pixel phones. A few weeks back, the company announced Android 14 Beta 5.1, which came with some minor software fixes.
The new beta update will be compatible with select Google Pixel handsets, which include the Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5 and 5a, Pixel 6, 6 Pro and 6a, Pixel 7, 7 Pro and 7a, as well as Google’s newer phones, the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. With that in mind, the official Android Developer page lists several fixes which are included with the update, consisting of the following:
- Fixed various issues that sometimes caused devices to stall when rebooting.
- Fixed issues that could interrupt cellular connectivity for devices that utilize E-UTRAN New Radio – Dual Connectivity (ENDC) when those devices were connected through 5G NR low-band frequencies.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet devices that caused the fingerprint sensor to be unresponsive in some cases.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices that caused Perfetto trace data to be incomplete.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices with stuttering animations when viewing or tapping the notification for an ongoing call.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices that sometimes caused the system UI to crash after using the fingerprint sensor.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Fold devices that sometimes caused the screen to briefly flicker when unfolding the device.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Tablet devices that sometimes caused a colored bar to display or flicker after unlocking the device.
- Fixed an issue on Pixel Tablet devices that caused the system to play incorrect sounds when docking or undocking the device.
Users who want to try out the Android 14 Beta will need to proceed to Google’s Android 14 Beta enrolment page, and sign into their Google account to see which of their devices are compatible with the Beta software. After opting in a device, a user will then be prompted to select the beta program they’d like to enroll in, after which they’ll need to accept the Android Beta Program Terms of Service.
If a user wants to roll back to a stable Android build, they’ll need to wipe their device beforehand, and it is recommended that they back up any important files and data from their device. Not doing so prevent users from un-enrolling to a stable public version of Android. It should also be noted that since this is still a beta version of Android, users might still come across some unexpected issues and difficulties with the update.
In other recent Google news, it looks like the company will still be launching a new Pixel A-series model sometime in the future, despite rumors that Google might and the A-series line, given how much higher-end features the recent Pixel 7a came with. More specifically, a new Geekbench listing pointing to a Google device codenamed “Akita” was spotted online, suggesting that it might be the still-to-be-announced Pixel 8a.
The handset in question comes with an underclocked processor, speculated by many to be the Google Tensor G3 chipset, and managed to score 1218 points for single-core performance, and 3175 for multi-core performance. No other tech details were listed though, so we’ll have to wait for a bit more time (and details) to get the full picture surrounding Google’s mystery midrange phone.
