Android 14 DP2 Brings Some Exciting Changes
Pixel phones received Android 14 Developer Preview 2 on Wednesday, revealing a range of new features, including working predictive back gestures. While there are many smaller changes, one particularly noteworthy addition is the lava lamp-like animation that’s returned to the notification shade media player, accompanied by a minor tweak to its output options.
The media player is now more animated with Google bringing back its wave-like animation that shimmers with media playback. Google first introduced this to the Android 13 QPR2 beta before removing it in further releases. However, with limited reliability and occasional errors, it is obvious the animation is still a work in progress. There is also a new addition to the media player, where a ripple effect animation pops up when you interact with the play/pause button.
Additionally, Android expert Mishaal Rahman identified another improvement, the media selector’s interface now includes smart displays instead of just traditional speakers that your media could be cast to. This modification makes it possible to stream videos and music on Chromecasts or Android TVs. Please note that apps must enable support for this manually.
