If you’ve been paying close attention to the mobile space recently, you’ll know that Google’s release track record for new Android releases has been all over the place. Last year, Android 12 debuted in early October. This year, Android 13 is launched today.
The company announced that updates for supported Pixels should be released starting today, with devices from Samsung, Asus, HMD Global, iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo, Xiaomi and others still. joining the party “later this year”.
So what’s new? Apparently, you’re getting an evolution of the Material You theme, with the theme engine now supporting third-party app icons, while the updated media player automatically changes its appearance based on the music or podcast you’re listening to.
You can assign specific languages to specific apps, and the Bedtime mode is also becoming more customizable, with background dimming and a dark theme.
The apps will not have access to the entire media library just to be able to share an item, the clipboard history is automatically cleared “after a period of time” if you copy sensitive data such as email, phone number or login credentials and apps they will have to explicitly ask you to allow them to send notifications, rather than having that ability by default.
Spatial audio is now supported on Android, as long as you’ve supported headphones for the feature that enables head tracking. Bluetooth LE Audio is also supported, and again, you’ll need accessories that can work with this, but if you have them you should expect lower latency Bluetooth sound, improved quality, and support for streaming audio to more devices. at the same time.
The newly updated taskbar on tablets lets you see all your apps at a glance and lets you easily drag and drop any app into your library in split screen mode. Tablets also get palm rejection support when a stylus is used, so you no longer have accidental touches.
There’s HDR video support on third-party camera apps in Android 13, a new media output switcher and braille display for Talkback. “Soon”, you will be able to copy content such as a URL, image or text, from your Android phone to your Android tablet, or vice versa. Likewise, “soon” you’ll be able to stream your messaging apps to your Chromebook, if you have one, so you can answer chats from your laptop, not your phone.
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