Google finally made more changes than we thought in its Android 14 QPR1 update, including the positioning of the search bar on the smartphone interface.
A few days ago, Google deployed Android 14 QPR1, one of the last updates before the arrival of the stable version of Android 14, expected on October 4. We have already seen that the update fixed many bugs, but also brought some new features to compatible smartphones.
However, it seems that Google has hidden some new features in its update, which have just been discovered by some Internet users. The famous Mishaal Rahman, for example, discovered a new flag called “floating search bar”. Upon activating it, Rahman noticed that the search bar is now closer to your thumb when typing with keyboards like Gboard and SwiftKey. The search bar is now directly above the keyboard suggestion stripwhich allows you to move the cursor without moving your hand too much.
Android smartphones will replace your webcam
Better yet, the new update now allows you to use your phone as a webcam. The new webcam feature does not rely on third-party apps or software, but requires physically connecting the phone to a laptop or desktop computer via a USB cable.
This new feature can be found in the “Charging this device via USB” menu that appears in the notification bar once the phone is connected. A “Webcam” option appearsand on-screen instructions appear for setting up the webcam video feed, with options to zoom in/out and switch between the device’s front and rear cameras.
Note that this new feature is currently supported on all Pixel devices capable of running the beta update, except the Pixel Fold. We therefore hope that it will be available on all Android smartphones in the future once the stable update is deployed. Apple already allows you to use an iPhone as a webcam on its Macs, so seeing Android align with its competitor is good news.