There is a certain balance to be achieved in the function of the lock screen. For security and other reasons, I cannot reveal too much. However, it is also very convenient to be able to perform quick functions without having to go to the trouble of unlocking the phone and navigating to an app.

Google seems to have taken note of this and is preparing to allow notes to be taken in Google Keep directly from the lock screen in Android 14. This could be a serious time saver when you want to quickly capture a fresh reminder in your brain. And if it sounds familiar, that's because Samsung offers the same feature on its Samsung Note cell phone and its S Pen Stylus.

In fact, if you're one of those people who pair one of the best Apple Pencil alternatives to your Android device, you should also be able to click the action button on compatible models to launch Google Keep so that are.

To use the Notes app on the lock screen in Android 14, it must first be set as the "default Notes app"; as reported by Android Authority, only version 5.23.482.04 of Google Keep meets the two conditions. However, some of the best note-taking apps will also meet this requirement in the near future.

The benefit of being able to choose Keep as the "default notes app" is that users will have access to a new API that allows them to take a screenshot of the current window and insert it into their notes. Since this API was previously blocked from third-party apps due to privacy concerns, the new API allows the system UI to take a screenshot and share it with the default notes app.

Finally, when taking a new note from the lock screen, Keep lets the user decide whether to create it as a new note each time or add it to an existing note.

This feature is not yet publicly available, but will be available to the public sooner rather than later, except when enabled in the developer menu of Pixel Tablet running Android 14.

Google announced Android 14 on October 4, 2023, and it is being rolled out to everyone currently using a Pixel 4a 5G or later. Android phones released next year will use 14 right out of the box, but existing non-Google phones are getting the update as we speak. Samsung's OneUI 6 update was applied to eligible phones between November 13 and December 1, and OnePlus phones got the Oxygen OS 14 version of the Android update starting November 16, but not simultaneously worldwide. Motorola and Asus are silent. They have remained silent, but expect the update to be delivered by early next year at the latest.

Meanwhile, we cover all the best new features in our Android 14 review.