Technologies

Android 14: Every Big Feature Announced at Google I/O Last Week

You can expect Google’s Android 14 software update to arrive later this year.

AI may have taken center stage at last week’s Google I/O event, but Dave Burke, VP of engineering at Google, did touch on a few new customization options coming to the lock screen on Android 14.

Android 14 was first announced back in February, with the release of its first Android 14 developer preview. In April, Google released the first public beta version of Android 14, and the second shortly after Google I/O, which you can download right now (as long as you have a compatible phone, like the new Pixel 7A or Pixel Fold).

More from Google I/O

The public and beta versions of Android 14 so far have brought improvements to privacy and security, like the ability to disable PIN animations to make it safer when unlocking your phone in public, and new features to accessibility, with larger font sizes for the visually impaired and flash notifications for those that are hard of hearing.

While you’re here, check out the best Android devices of 2023.

More customization options for your lock screen

A few customization options to the lock screen are coming to Android 14 later this year, demoed at the Google I/O keynote.

You now have the ability to add your own personalized clock to the lock screen on Android 14, choosing the font, color, size and design. There are also new shortcuts, which allow you to quickly jump into your most frequent activities, like turning on your flashlight, opening your wallet for payment or launching your camera to scan a QR code — directly from your lock screen.

New lock screen customizations on Android 14 — You can customize the clocks and add shortcuts on your lock screen.

Google/Screenshot by CNET

Emoji and cinematic wallpapers

Android also has a couple new wallpaper options, including emoji and cinematic wallpapers, coming to Android, but not exclusive to Android 14.

The emoji wallpaper feature lets you choose up to fourteen different emoji, browse through various patterns and select a colors pattern to create a unique wallpaper for your home and lock screen. Emoji wallpapers are interactive, so the emoji will react any time you touch them.

With the cinematic wallpaper feature, you can turn any photo in your camera roll into a 3D image with motions effects to add as your backdrop. A sparkle icon button will give your photos a parallax effect as you tilt your device.

Man playing with phone, showing off emoji wallpaper — Both of these wallpaper features are coming first to Pixel devices in June.

Google/Screenshot by CNET

There are also generative AI wallpapers

Don’t have a wallpaper you’re happy with? Google has a new feature in Android that allows you to create a unique wallpaper with generative AI. To start, you choose a theme — for example classic art or mystical botanicals — and then a wallpaper is created. At the bottom of each wallpaper is a prompt that can be edited to further customize the existing wallpaper. Each prompt will also have several options you can swipe through.

Because of Material You, the system’s color palette is automatically adapted to match the wallpaper that was created.

Google/Screenshot by CNET

A major update to Find My Device

Google is taking a page out of Apple’s playbook by improving how you find your missing devices, leveraging the millions of Android devices out there. For example, if you leave your Google Pixel buds at the airport, you can use any nearby Android devices to help you better locate your Android-powered phone. And if you have any third-party trackers, like Tile, on other items you own, you’ll be able to track them via Find My Device as well. This feature isn’t unique to Android 14, but will come to Android around the same time as the latest mobile operating system.

Google IO presenter talking about Find My Device. — It’s now easier to find your lost or stolen items with Android’s Find My Device feature. Coming this summer.

Google/Screenshot by CNET

Unknown tracker alerts

Another feature coming to Android this summer is the ability to receive automatic notifications if your phone senses an unknown tracker following you. Apple and Google are working together to give people the information they need to quickly find out if they’re being possibly tracked by a stalker or thief — something that has been happening in the last few years. These unknown tracker alerts allow you to view a rogue tracker device, like an AirTag, on a map and force it to play a sound so that you can find it. You’ll even get instructions on how to disable the tracker completely, in case you’re concerned about your safety.

OGI Apple AirTag — Thieves use AirTags to track people and steal from them.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Technologies

We Played Nintendo Switch 2: Mario, Donkey Kong, Mouse, Camera and a Lot More

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2: Every Reveal About the Console, New Games, Price, Release Date

The $450 console launches June 5, with Mario Kart World the highlight of its launch day game lineup.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday as part of the company’s latest Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.

The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.

Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Editions and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.

Nintendo Switch 2 console

The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.

The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.

The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.

The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.

Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.

Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.

Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat

Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.

In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles

The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.

Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.

Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.

Nintendo Switch 2 games

Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.

An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:

Borderlands 4
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Deltarune
Donkey Kong Bananza
Drag x Drive
EA Sports FC
EA Sports Madden NFL
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
Enter the Gungeon 2
Fast Fusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Fortnite
Hades 2
Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
NBA 2K
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Project 007
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Split Fiction
Star Wars Outlaws
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
Survival Kids
The Duskbloods
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
WWE 2K
Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition

Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.

Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.