Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Ever since I flashed Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on my HTC Desire Z, I’ve been eager to try out the latest and – intended – greatest version of Android as soon as possible. When Google started testing official Android developer previews and betas, I quickly signed up and it became an annual tradition for me. A new developer preview? On my secondary phone! Out of developer preview and into beta? On my main phone! This is how I ended up with Android 14 beta on my Pixel 7 Pro and all the bugs have made me regret it ever since.
How was the Android 14 beta experience?
250 votes
Before I continue, I know we’re talking about beta and beta software is by definition full of meaning – it’s crucial to try to get to a stable release. I also know that bugs are hit-and-miss. At least I don’t recall seeing any significant issues with the previous betas I’ve flashed on my Pixel phones over the past five years. That’s very lucky, but betas are supposed to be more stable than previous developer previews. But I guess all my karma has paid off, and I’m proud of Android 14 beta from day one, with a lot of frustrations and bugs.
Betas are supposed to be difficult, but if any of these issues are a dealbreaker, you should avoid them.
So if you’re considering joining the beta, consider this a public service announcement. If any of the below issues are a deal breaker for you, you may want to steer clear.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
My biggest problem with Android 14 beta hack is the audio playback bug. It’s so repetitive that I can no longer listen to music or podcasts because the whole experience is beyond frustrating. When the display is turned off, audio may continue to play normally for a few minutes and then begin to interrupt in a random rhythm every second or two. Even if I can get used to it, the unexpected hurts.
Audio playback is choppy and cuts out randomly and frequently when the display is turned off.
This happens with both speakers and Bluetooth headphones, with Now Playing enabled or disabled (disabling Now Playing fixes it for some people, but not for me) and with Spotify and PocketCasts and YouTube or any other audio (even WhatsApp voice notes). Sometimes it starts the moment I start listening to something, sometimes it gives me a break for a few minutes and then it starts. The only way to avoid it? Keep the display on.
The video above shows it in action. I’ve uploaded a slightly longer version to Google Drive if you want to torture your ears for a couple of minutes in 4K. When I turn off the display, music playback cuts out unbearably, then resumes as normal when I turn on the phone. The beginning of the video shows a random error where playback skips a random second when I turn on the phone. I’d say it happens once out of three.
The new Android 14 beta 2.1, which is said to fix some audio-related bugs, has not fixed anything. I will say that both issues seem to happen much less often after I updated, but still happen.
Frequent freezes and app crashes, charging issues and camera lag are some of the other bugs I noticed.
Another problem I’m having is charging my Pixel 7 Pro. Every day, I wake up to a notification that says there is a problem with the charger even though my phone is fully charged. I’m using the same charger and cable as before, but the notification is keeping me on edge wondering if it’s just a false notification or if there’s something wrong with the Pixel charging.
In the six months I’ve had the Pixel 7 Pro, I don’t recall it freezing at all. I had a very calming experience. But this has happened at least four times in the last two weeks. This is the bad cold; Where you can’t force reboot by long pressing the power button for ten seconds. Nothing works and you have to wait for it to crash and wait for it to restart by itself. Beta 2.1 came out yesterday and is supposed to reduce those, so I guess we’ll see.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Other issues I’ve noticed are general camera lag, especially when zooming or recording video. Playing now doesn’t work, but the latest beta 2.1 seems to have fixed it for now. The speaker was also randomly popping up, which is a fun experience with choppy audio playback. Again, this is supposed to be fixed in beta 2.1 and I haven’t noticed it since yesterday.
Most, if not all, of these bugs will surely be fixed when Android 14 is officially released, but until then, I won’t be installing the beta.
So yes, Google is clearly working to fix all issues before Android 14 releases reach platform stability and become available to everyone. I hope the audio playback issue is fixed as soon as possible, though, but not in August. Otherwise I have to reset my phone and go back to the stable version of Android 13.
In the meantime, if you’re teetering on the edge and thinking of trying out the beta, I suggest you stay away. Unless you like living dangerously.