This year's release of the world's most popular operating system, Android 14, was one of the smallest ever, bringing just a few new features. Even during the Google I/O keynote, most of the time was spent demonstrating a new generative AI feature that creates wallpapers, as if there weren't enough already. The Android 13 release of the previous year was also small, but that was due to the earlier release of Android 12L, the big tablet and foldable release. What's the excuse for Android 14? There are still some details to discuss, such as new lock screen customizations, changes to the back button functionality, and a pile of under-the-hood changes.

The logo for Android has been given a makeover, with the wordmark now in all capital letters, and the bugdroid mascot now fully rendered in 3D. The mascot is compliant with Google's Material Design guidelines, and comes in a variety of colors and styles. This combination of the Android brand with the Android Open Source Project logo is something new, and it's a reminder that Android is a trademark of Google, and can't be used without a license for the Google Play apps.

Android 14 has a somewhat customizable lock screen, a feature inspired by iOS 16's lock screen widgets. Android had lock screen widgets in 2012 with Android 4.2, but they were removed in version 5.0. Unfortunately, they are still not back in Android 14, but it's likely they will be included in Android 15 or 16. The lock screen can be customized by selecting a clock style, and two shortcuts can be assigned, with limited options such as a camera, do not disturb toggle, flashlight, Google Home app, QR code scanner, video camera, or Google Wallet.

The settings UI for the lock screen shortcuts has also been improved, with the ability to choose from themed icons in one color. There are also quick settings edit UI and the app drawer home screen, which are three shortcut UIs where users can access their apps and quick settings.