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Google Launches Android 14 for Pixel Phones: Everything You Need to Know

If your Android phone supports Android 14, you can download the OS today.

Google announced the release of Android 14, alongside the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, on Wednesday during the Made by Google event. The Android 14 software update is rolling out to supported devices.

The latest major release of the Android mobile operating system brings new features to your Android smartphone, including AI-generated wallpapers, passkeys for third-party apps, monthly reminders for data-sharing, and camera flash notifications.

Read more: Google Promises Pixel 8 Phones Will Get Software Updates Through 2030

Android 14 was first released as a developer beta back in February, shortly after Google’s annual Google I/O event, with a beta version dropping a couple of months later. The general public release of Android 14 was originally slated for early September but was ultimately pushed back until today.

During today’s Made by Google event, in addition to the new Pixels, the company also unveiled the Pixel Watch 2 and the latest Pixel Buds Pro — all of which you can preorder.

Don’t miss: Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Watch 2: Everything Google Just Announced

If you’re interested in testing Android 14, here’s everything you need to know, including the biggest new features, whether your phone supports Android 14, and if so, how to download Android 14 onto your device.

See the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro Up Close and Personal

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What new features are coming with Android 14?

Android 14 doesn’t revolutionize the Android experience so much as push the mobile operating system forward, but it does now offer AI-generated wallpapers, passkeys for third-party apps, dynamic monochromatic themes and more.

Mostly there are enhancements: camera, accessibility, home screen, lock screen, privacy and security, and battery optimization all are improved with Android 14.

The camera gets several improvements with Android 14, including support for high-quality Ultra HDR images, better low-light photography on compatible phones and in-sensor zooming that allows you to zoom in and out without loss of image quality in some third-party apps. A new document scanner service will allow apps to digitize physical documents, like your receipts, with your camera.

For accessibility, Android 14 offers larger fonts, scaled up to 200%, for those who are visually impaired. There are also camera flash notifications — which use your camera’s flash to notify you — meant for people who are hard of hearing. You can pinch-to-zoom to set magnification in your apps. And there are more customization settings for hearing aids.

The lock screen features a new customization picker, with custom clocks and lock screen shortcuts.

And for privacy and security, you have notifications warning you of any changed data-sharing practices for third-party apps, stricter app permissions, enhanced PIN privacy, ability to disable 2G connectivity, encryption for all cellular connections and more.

Which Android phones support Android 14?

Every Android phone out there supports the Android OS — but not in the same way. 

Google usually develops a new Android update, known simply as Android OS, and then releases it to its own devices, like the Pixel Pro, Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. Other smartphone manufacturers then transform the stock Android OS into their own update, or skin — Samsung has One UI and OnePlus has OxygenOS, for example.

As for pure Android 14, only a limited number of Google devices support the latest Android OS:

Android 14-based updates will be pushed out to devices from Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, Sony and other manufacturers later this year.

pixel 8 phones

How to download Android 14 on your phone

On your supported Android, go into the Settings application, scroll down to the bottom and tap System > System update. If Android 14 is available on your device, you’ll see your update status appear. If not, tap the Check for update button at the bottom. Next, hit Download and install and wait for your phone to download the latest software and restart. Once your phone boots back up, you should see Android 14 running.

Note: If you see a «not enough space available» notification, you’ll need to free up storage before you can update to Android 14.

Android 14 running on a Pixel 6 Pro.

Technologies

Google’s Pixel 10A Is Coming to Japan With an Exclusive Blue Edition and Special Wallpaper

This model comes with creatively designed stickers and a special look for Pixel’s 10th anniversary.

Don’t be blue: Google is releasing an Isai blue edition of the Pixel 10A to celebrate the Android phone line’s 10th anniversary, setting it apart with its own sticker set, specialized wallpaper and custom icons. But it’ll only be available in Japan.

Announced Tuesday on the Google Japan blog, the Isai blue Pixel 10A has a dark blue look and includes bonus decorations designed in collaboration with Japan’s Heralbony art company. These include an exclusive bumper case and stickers for customization.

This edition of the Pixel 10A will arrive in Japan on May 20, following the April 14 release of the Pixel 10A in its original colors of lavender, berry, fog and obsidian. The Isai blue model costs 94,900 yen, which roughly translates to $595, and includes 256GB of storage. 

This makes it slightly less expensive than the US model’s 256GB edition, but it comes with a number of fun extras at no additional cost.

Google’s creation of a country-specific model for Japan may also reflect strong sales in that market. In 2023, the IDC analytics firm (via 9to5Google) reported that the Pixel 7 series accounted for 10.7% of the country’s market share, a 527% increase from 2022.

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Technologies

Can’t Wait for New Emoji? Here’s How to Create Your Own on iPhone

Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones can create custom emoji in a few easy steps.

Apple brought new emoji to all iPhones when the company released iOS 26.4 on March 24. The new emoji include «🫍» orca, «🫪» distorted face and «🫈» hairy creature — or as we might normally call it, Sasquatch. According to Emojipedia, there are 3,953 emoji with more on the way, including a pickle. But there’s no emoji for a dog wearing pajamas, a plate with burgers and fries and many other things. But if you have Genmoji on your iPhone you can create these emoji and many more.

Apple released iOS 18.2 in 2024 and the company introduced its own emoji generator, called Genmoji, to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones at that time. The Unicode Standard, a universal character encoding standard, is responsible for creating new emoji, and approved emoji are added to all devices once a year. With Genmoji, you don’t have to wait for new emoji to appear on your iPhone each year. You can just create them as you need them.

Read on to learn how to use Genmoji on iPhone to create your own custom emoji. Just note that only iPhones with Apple Intelligence, like the iPhone 17 lineup, can use Genmoji at this time.

Note: The new emoji may not display correctly for Apple users whose devices aren’t on a 26.4 software version.

How to make custom emoji

1. Open Messages and go into a chat.
2. Tap the plus (+) button next to your text box.
3. Tap Genmoji.

You can then type a description of an emoji into the text box near the bottom of your screen and tap the check mark on your keyboard to enter that description into Genmoji. You can also tap different suggestions and themes that are right above the text box. And with iOS 26 or later, you can also combine and use emoji to create others rather than describing a new emoji or using suggestions.

Your iPhone will generate a series of new emoji for you to pick from according to your description, and you can swipe through these new emoji. When you find the one you want, tap Add in the top right corner of your screen and the new emoji will be available to use as an emoji, tapback or a sticker. Now you don’t have to wait for the Unicode Standard to propose, create and bring new emoji to devices.

For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.

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Technologies

Save Over 20% on This Handy 10,000-mAh Anker Nano Power Bank

Keep your devices charged on the go with this Anker Nano power bank, now down to just $46.

We’ve just spotted the Anker Nano 45-watt portable power bank for just $46 at Amazon right now. This saves you $14 — a 23% discount on its list price. Though it’s $6 more than the lowest-ever price we saw during Black Friday, it’s still a solid discount when you take the rising cost of tech accessories into account. It also matches the lowest price we’ve seen in 2026. It comes in four colors: black, green, pink and white. They’re all on sale for the same price.

This Anker Nano portable charger weighs approximately 8.2 ounces and measures a compact 3.21×1.99×1.42 inches. Despite its small size, it has a retractable cable and supports fast charging in compatible Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel and other smartphones. It also has a large 10,000-mAh capacity and a smart display so you always know how much juice is left in your power bank.

The Nano can charge an iPhone 17 to up to 50% battery in an estimated 20 minutes, and is powerful enough to charge tablets and laptops. Need to charge your devices while charging your power bank? You can do so safely thanks to pass-through charging so you’ll never have to go without battery life.

We’ve also compiled a list of the best power banks for iPhones and for Android, in case this deal isn’t quite a fit for you.

Why this deal matters

If you travel, have a long commute time or are otherwise always on the go, a portable charger can help you keep your devices fully powered. This 45-watt Anker Nano power bank is compact, includes a loop that lets you keep track of it easily and has a built-in cable so you don’t have to keep up with extra cords. Amazon’s $14 discount makes this a solid deal for anyone looking for a compact power bank.

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