Learn all there is to know about Android 13!
The first Developer Preview of Android 13 has been released by Google. This sets off an upgrade cycle for Android’s mobile operating system, usually resulting in a fall release of Android 5.0. And Android 13 is set to follow suit.
Android 13’s first developer preview is currently available. Since the first Android 12 developer preview arrived around this time last year, it’s not surprising.
Even with the recent release, there is still a lack of information on Android 13’s user-facing capabilities. Things like new QR code scanners and other features make the next Android version sound iterative, but we still don’t know much about what’s to come. Then then, we believed the same thing about Android 12 until Google delivered the Material You surprise.
So far, the following is all we know about Android 13.
Rumors about the release date of Android 13
An upgrade and beta schedule for Google’s Android 13 platform has been established with the release of Developer Preview 1. Those familiar with Android 12’s release timeline will recognise this.
Indeed, even before we saw that course of events, we calculated the last Android 13 delivery would occur in the fall, around the send off of the Pixel 7. Be that as it may, Google’s yearly I/O gathering, as would be considered normal to happen in May, will probably give more data on the delivery plan.
In Google’s Android 13 roadmap, the first beta of the software appears to be scheduled for April. That’s a touch ahead of plan, but we still expect a large Android 13 presentation at Google I/O.
Android 13 introduces a slew of new features
There are only a few new additions in Android 13 Developer Preview 1 that give us a good idea of what Android 13 will bring to the table. However, Android Police’s speculated features may be able to fill in the gaps.
Adopted from iOS 15, the new Photo Picker was included in the initial developer release for Android 13. In the future, you’ll have the option of sharing only a few photographs with an app rather than your whole collection. Apps will only be able to see the data you want to share with them, which further protects your privacy.
The Nearby Wi-Fi device permission was also included in the Android 13 developer beta and now contains a Wi-Fi component. Wi-Fi access points may be accessed using the NEARBY WIFI DEVICES permission, which can limit what apps can see from your phone.
In addition to the 13 built-in themes, there are also third-party themes available. Although the capability was only available to Google applications in Android 12, you may remember that it was possible for icons to change their colour in accordance with the backdrop in Android 12. According to the Android 13 developer preview, this feature will be available to third-party apps.
According to a rumour, Android 13 may have support for dual eSIMs, allowing several carriers to use the same eSIM. There would be no need for a physical SIM card with Android 13’s support for dual eSIM, but that is up to carriers and phone manufacturers.
According to Android Police, screenshots reveal two new choices for scanning QR codes. In the first place, unlocking your phone from the lock screen allows you to use your phone’s scanner to scan restaurant menus. This would be very appreciated.
The iPhone and HomePods aren’t the only devices with media playback handoff capabilities; Android devices may soon get their own version of the capability. By touching your iPhone to a HomePod mini, you can transfer media to it. If the information from Android Police’s source is accurate, then “Media TTT,” or Media Tap-to-Transfer, may be coming to Android 13. This would allow you to stream media from your phone to a Nest speaker or similar device by a simple touch. Exactly how this works is still a mystery.
In addition to a picture picker, Android Police suspects that Google will be making modifications to any media output selector, not just the photo picker. You may use your phone’s speakers, your Bluetooth earphones, or any other speaker you choose to listen to your music on. The volume bar appears to be receiving a rounded, full-size option to match the redesigned main volume bar in Android 12 based on images.
Google’s developer beta appears to have a command that allows you to change the brightness of your flashlight, rather than merely turning it on or off.. So it will be beneficial to have this capability built in by default, as it has been on iOS and select Android brands for a long time.
For those who don’t require an app right away, Google has revealed a new feature that will allow it to be preserved in an archived version on their phones, decreasing the storage footprint until it’s needed again. It appears to be especially handy for those with little storage space on their mobile devices.
Android 13 Developer Preview 2 introduces notification permissions, which are nearly identical to iOS’s permissions. This implies that you can prevent apps from sending you alerts when they are first launched if the feature is included within the app.
Wireless audio over Bluetooth Low Energy (WLE): Android 13 will feature wireless audio over Bluetooth Low Energy (WLE).
Android 13 will also have MIDI 2.0 device compatibility.
What we hope to see in Android 13
Like Android 5.0 Lollipop, Android 12 wasn’t a clean transition into the Material You world, but it was a step forward. However, even if Google employs hundreds of individuals who work on this, they are all ultimately just humans. Errors and omissions are inevitable.
I’d want to see the following features in Android 13, and I’m sure I’ll come up with more.
It’s no secret that Android 12 had a rough debut, plagued as it was by bug after issue. However, I am aware that many others have had a quite different experience. When Lollipop came out in 2014, there were a number of issues with Material You. It was inevitable that there would be problems, but I’d want to see Android 13 fix them.
Restore access to the Wi-Fi Quick Settings button: Google combined the mobile data and Wi-Fi settings in one place named “Internet” for Android 12. Toggling Wi-Fi or changing networks is a pain in the neck because of this. Reversing this change in Android 11 is what I’d want to see.
Android 12 offered scrolling screenshots for certain applications, but not all of them. Instead of scrolling images, developers were forced to include “View-based UI” elements in their programmes. Please provide scrolling screenshots for all apps and scenarios in Android 13 as several other Android phones have had for a long time.
It was possible to access your smart home controls from the power menu in Android 11. They’re now hidden beneath a Quick Settings panel in Android 12. To accomplish something as simple as turning off my lights, it’s only one additional step. Google should put back the power menu controls, in my opinion.