Google on Monday announced that Android 13 has officially been pushed to the Android Open Source Project. Moreover, the latest version of Android has begun rolling out to select Pixel devices as well.
Looking ahead, Google says that Android 13 will arrive on “your favorite devices” from Samsung Galaxy, Asus, HMD (Nokia phones), iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, Xiaomi and other manufacturers.
What’s new with Android 13? Quite a bit, actually. There’s plenty of personalization and customization for users to create unique device experiences. Additionally, there are more granular controls over security and privacy, ensuring you’re protected better than ever.
As more devices become connected and smart, even have interoperability, it helps when they play nice together. To that end, Android 13 is created with that in mind. That is to say there are features for better multitasking and working between devices.
One of the features we like best about Android 13 is the refreshed and enhanced Material You experience. It allows for a more cohesive look and feel and makes our device feel uniquely ours.
Longtime Android users have seen notifications go through a number of changes, and that continues with Android 13. With the latest release we find that apps now need your permission to send notifications rather than the general assumption that it’s okay to do so.
Digital wellbeing gets a punch-up, too, with a customized bedtime mode with wallpaper dimming and dark theme. If you struggle to put your handset down at night, this could be the tool to help make it easier.
Also cool is the ability to decide whether to share specific videos or photos with an app. Rather than granting full access to your collection you can select individual files.
Many of us work in Android and Chrome environments, taking advantage of the benefits of each. If you find yourself hopping back and forth between the two, you’ll enjoy some of the interoperability. You can stream messaging apps to your Chromebook; in the future you’ll be able to copy URLs, pics, text, and other content from your phone and paste it on your tablet. And vice versa.
Rounding things out we can also look forward to Bluetooth Low Energy Audio for lower latency, Spatial Audio, HDR support in third-party camera apps, an updated media player, and more in Android 13
For more information on what’s in Android 13, check out Google’s blog post on the new launch.
