Google has several apps and services which make collaborative remote work easy, and most of them are a part ofGoogle Workspace. While Google works to keep Workspace tools up to date and safe constantly, Android’s popularity in corporate settings makes enhanced security and workspace-oriented features a necessity. WithAndroid 14 on its wayto your Pixel phones in the stable channel, Google has also announced several included privacy and feature improvements, like support for six-digit unlock pins, ultra-wideband logging, and convenient work profile switching.
Android offers a dedicatedwork profile feature, so you can keep your work apps, files, and dataseparate from personal ones, on the same device. This negates the need for dual-wielding smartphones, while giving employers options which help limit your usage and prevent security breaches. Back in June when Android 14 was still in development, Android expert Mishaal Rahman spotted Google developing an option forconvenient switchingbetween your work and personal profile, besides otherrelated improvements. These changes are now reaching devices worldwide with the wider Android 14 release.
Passkey authentication, six-digit PIN, and 2G radio toggle switch in action
For employers, the latest iteration of the OS allows setting up six-digit lock screen PINs with a million potential combinations, which is exponentially harder to brute-force than the standard four-digit PIN’s 10,000 combinations. The OS also introduces ultra-wideband logging to meet industry standards and allows device administrators to prevent person-in-the-middle attacks via 2G networks by temporarily or permanently disabling 2G radios on the employee’s Android phones. New credential manager controls let device administrators only enable the credential managers they trust.
Secure screen sharing, separate screenshot storage, and switching to personal apps
For the average user, Android 14 syncs contacts between your work and personal profiles, so you aren’t switching constantly. When you switch, though, the update makes it as easy as swiping sideways on your profile picture in Google apps. The new switching system is a big improvement from the older implementation where you tap your avatar icon and then select the button to switch from the pop-up dialog. Android 14 also allows per-app screen sharing when your work profile is enabled, to avoid accidentally sharing personal information in your workspace. Even screenshots taken when the work profile is enabled are now stored separately, so you don’t have to sift through personal and work-related images bunched together.
Google has also made it easy for staffers and administrators to find all the work profile settings in one place in the Settings app, using the search function. These improvements may seem minor, but when extrapolated to the scale of Android’s prevalence, they can have a noticeable impact in bolstering enterprise and data security.
