During its Google I/O conference, the Android publisher presented a timeline for new features that will be available for the operating system of our smartphones and tablets. On the programme: artificial intelligence in action and wallpapers.
Android 14 // Source: Frandroid
In addition to the hardware announcements during Google I/O, namely the Pixel Fold, the Pixel Tablet or the Pixel 7a, Google presented features that will be available on Android this year.
Pixels are entitled to cinematic wallpapers
The first two features are emoji-based wallpapers and cinematic wallpapers.
With the first function, you can create a background from several selected emojis, color them and set the background color. You can also arrange them as you wish to create the scenes you want or display the icons you want.
The second function allows you to create so-called “cinematic” background images. In fact, you select the photo you want to view and Android takes care of creating a parallax effect by cutting out a subject in the foreground from the background. A discreet way to animate your wallpaper that activates when you tilt your smartphone.
Both will appear on Pixel phones in June. However, it is expected to expand to Android in the coming months as these new methods of creating wallpapers are embraced by users.
Google Messages replaces writing your SMS
The next function does not directly concern the operating system, but one of its most important applications: Google Messages. The SMS application is completed with “Magic Compose”, a feature based on generative artificial intelligence.
AI will end up in Google Messages // Source: Google
It allows you to reply to your messages with auto-generated replies in the style you choose, from informal with emojis to formal. A feature that will be available in beta this summer.
The background images generated by artificial intelligence
Thanks to a feature called Generative IA, Android will soon be able to create wallpapers using artificial intelligence. To create the perfect background, the tool asks questions to describe our “creative vision”. The operating system can generate unique images and, of course, the wallpapers are compatible with Material You to have an interface with synchronous colors.
A background image generated by AI // Source: Google
You can regenerate your wallpaper as many times as you like, pre-selecting options: styles, rendered elements, etc. No availability date has been announced at this time, other than that it will be “later in the year”.
Android 14: Lock screens will finally be truly customizable
Google also announced that you can “customize your lock screen with new shortcuts and beautifully designed clocks.” If we believe the few screenshots that have been released, we can display the weather, temperature and time in different styles and colors. We can also add shortcuts: lamp, diary, QR code scanner, Google wallet, etc.
The customizable lock screen in Android 14 // Source: Google
A native theme will also be available in Android 14: Monochrome. Enough to remove the colors from your smartphone, which can avoid being too attracted to your smartphone and using it for too long. With all that said, Android might manage to upgrade to what iOS has offered since iOS 16, which also brought with it many more lock screen customization options. All of these features will be available later this year alongside Android 14.
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