Google has finally launched the Android 14 official stable version publicly as well as for its eligible Pixel devices on October 4, 2023. Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are one of the first devices to ship with Android 14 out of the box. Pixel 4a 5G and later devices have already received the Android 14 OTA update on the same day of the release. But what about the Android 14 AOSP-based custom firmware users? You can easily download the Android 14 GApps update on the Android 14 running aftermarket ROM.
Previously, Android 14 was expected to be released on September 4, 2023 and but delayed due to the pending bug fixes and stability improvements. At the time of writing this article, interested fans can grab the Android 14 QPR1 beta GSI build for their Project-Treble-supported devices to get an early taste of the new Android edition in the family. If you’ve been an Android user for multiple years and previously used custom firmware, you’ll probably know about GApps (Google Apps and Services).
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What is GApps?
GApps means ‘Google Applications and Services’ that usually installs a full package of the Google applications & necessary services to run an Android device. Apart from China, everyone needs Google applications and its services on their Android devices to use necessary features like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chrome, YouTube, Google Play Store, Google Play Services, Google Photos, Google Maps, Google Duo, Google Keyboard, Contacts, Messages, and so on.
Apart from the applications, Google has plenty of useful background services that need to be installed and run all the time so that you can enjoy your Android smartphone or tablet device better than before. It includes AR services, Play Services, System Configuration, Android WebView, Cloud Sync, and more. An aftermarket firmware doesn’t come with preinstalled GApps and that’s why custom ROM users prefer to download and flash GApps after installing the third-party firmware on their Android handsets.
Generally, the GApps package can be flashed or installed via the flashable zip file or an APK file. Flashing the zip file via the custom recovery menu will be always preferable to fully installing Google applications and its services.
Why Google Apps (GApps) Necessary?
Are you one of the avid custom firmware fans to flash third-party ROMs to experience more out of Android and its customizability? If so, you’ll end up flashing GApps because, without Google apps and its services, you won’t be able to use or enjoy your Android handset properly. From maintaining a Google account to uploading/downloading content to contacts & messages to Gmail, everything is linked with Google. Even iPhone users prefer to use Google apps and services due to the interconnectivity with everything.
As a custom firmware user, it’s really important for you to install the Google Apps package manually on your device after flashing the firmware. Even if you can consider leaving general Google apps, you can not go away from Google Play Services and Google Play Store due to so many reasons. Meanwhile, you can find plenty of alternatives. But you might find multiple issues with those alternatives or third-party platforms. So, in the long run, GApps is the ultimate destination.
In case, you don’t want to use GApps on your Android device with a custom ROM then you’ll find plenty of difficulties with the usage in your daily life. It’s more likely to have a phone without having internet and a SIM card kind of feeling, to be precise.
Download GApps for Android 14:
Steps to Install Android 14 GApps
You can check out the following steps and requirements to easily flash GApps for Android 14 on your handset. So, let’s get into it.
Warning: At this moment while covering this article, the Android 14 stable version is quite new in the market. So, you may get the beta version of Android 14 GApps right now which can cause crashes or stability issues. GetDroidTips won’t be held responsible for any kind of issue you may experience after installing GApps. Proceed at your own risk.
Pre-Requisites:
Before going to the GApps flashing process, make sure to follow the pre-requirements properly.
- Ensure you’ve already installed a Custom ROM based on Android 14 on your handset.
- The device bootloader should be unlocked and root access is enabled.
- You’ll need to install the latest TWRP custom recovery on your handset.
- Keep your device charged more than 50% to avoid occasional shutdowns.
- Download the GApps (zip) file from the above links on your device.
- Now, move GApps to the internal storage. [without any folder]
Installation Steps:
- Use the key combinations while restarting the device to boot into the TWRP recovery.
- Tap on Install from the TWRP main menu.
- Browse and select the downloaded GApps (zip) file from the internal storage (root directory).
- Swipe to confirm flashing it and wait for the process to complete.
- Once done, make sure to reboot your device into the system normally.
- You’re good to go. Enjoy!
Please Note: In case, the GApps package isn’t installed or has some issues then boot into the TWRP recovery again > Factory Reset the device and then flash GApps zip finally to make it work.
That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.