At Google I/O 2022, the tech giant announced that it has started releasing the second beta of Android 13 operating system across many Android phones, tablets and foldable devices. The new release comes a couple of weeks after the first beta build. The second beta of the world’s most popular mobile operating system brings additional features and security improvements that are aimed to boost productivity and privacy. Wonder what’s new in Android 13? Here are the 10 most notable features of the upcoming OS.
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Users will be able to share personal information in an organised way
With Android 13, Google aims to give you more control over what personal information you share and more detailed control over what files your apps can access. Instead of permitting access to “Files and media,” there are two new categories you can control access to: “Photos & videos” and “Music & audio.” For even more specificity, a new photo picker lets you select the exact photos or videos you want to grant access to, without needing to share your entire media library with an app.
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Auto-delete clipboard history
Android 13 goes further to help you stay ahead of risks, with timely recommendations and options to enhance your privacy. You already receive an alert when an app accesses your clipboard. Now, Android will go further and automatically delete your clipboard history after a short period so apps are preemptively blocked from seeing old copied information.
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More focus on security and user privacy
Later this year, the company will introduce a unified Security & Privacy settings page in Android 13 that brings all your device’s data privacy and security front and centre. This will provide a clear, colour-coded indicator of your safety status and offer guidance and steps you can take to boost your security.
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More customisation options to give a ‘different’ look to your phone
Last year, Google introduced Material You to help phones adapt to your style and preferences. With Android 13, it is going further to customise your phone’s look and feel with pre-made colour variants. Once a colour scheme has been selected, you’ll see colour variants applied across the entire OS to accentuate your wallpaper and style.
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Colour theming of app icons
Android 13 also extends the colour theming of your app icons beyond Google apps. Starting with Pixel devices, you’ll be able to turn on the “Themed icons” toggle in your settings to have all supported apps also match your phone’s colours in a minimal, and consistent look.
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You will be able to use different apps in different languages
Android 13 allows you to select a different language preference for each of your apps in Settings. If you’re multilingual, you likely use different languages depending on the situation and may change how you communicate from one instance to the next. For example, you might enjoy social media in one language, but banking apps in another. Upcoming Android version will allow you to experience that.
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Notifications permissions requests
When you are using an app for the first time on an Android smartphone, you may have noticed permission requests asking for access to the camera, microphone, Bluetooth, call records, contacts and more. With the upcoming Android version, apps will also seek your permission to send you notifications. Although it may not seem like a major feature, it can be helpful for users who do not like their notification bar filled with unnecessary alerts. The feature will be quite similar to the one seen in Apple smartphones.
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More control over sharing information with apps
Android 13 will allow app developers to automatically revolve permissions granted by a user that are no longer necessary. For example, if an app is required to access the camera or contact once after it was installed, and it does not require access now, Android will automatically downgrade the permissions. However, it is not yet known whether Google is mandating developers to incorporate this feature into their apps.
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Better Bluetooth connectivity features with Android 13
Android 13 gets support for Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio. It is the next-generation wireless audio built to replace Bluetooth classic and enable new use cases and connection topologies. It will allow users to share and broadcast their audio with friends and family or subscribe to public broadcasts. It’s designed to ensure that users can receive high fidelity audio without sacrificing battery life.
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Redesigned media control
The tech giant is also introducing a new media control that tailors its look based on the music that you’re listening to, featuring the album’s artwork. The new design will be visible on the lock screen as well as in the notifications panel.