Android 13 is the newest model of Google’s cell working system (internally code-named Tiramisu for all you dessert fans), and as per traditional, it brings a spread of recent options and upgrades to Android telephones and tablets. We’ve been taking part in round with it for a couple of months, and it is extra evolution than revolution over Android 12. Don’t count on any groundbreaking adjustments.
It’s out there for some Android telephones now and will proceed to roll out to others over the approaching months. We’ve rounded up lots of the prime new options right here, and have directions on how to obtain it your self.
How to Download Android 13
If you have got a Google Pixel phone (Pixel 4 and Pixel 4A and newer) you possibly can obtain Android 13 now. Simply go to Settings > System > System replace and faucet Check for replace.
Other Android gadgets from the likes of Samsung, Asus, HMD (Nokia telephones), iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi can count on to get the replace later this 12 months. If you possibly can’t wait, it is value noting that a few of these gadgets are eligible for the Android 13 Beta program (Google has a list of manufacturers here, together with Samsung). If your gadget is supported, you possibly can enroll in the beta program via this link.
After signing up, you possibly can obtain and set up the newest beta launch as an over-the-air (OTA) replace, however beware—beta releases may be unstable and glitchy. Before enrolling, we strongly suggest you back up your Android phone, or there’s a actual danger of shedding treasured information.
Updates ought to robotically pop up, however you possibly can at all times verify you probably have the newest model by going to Settings > System > System replace and tapping Check for replace. Want to get off the beta and return to Android 12? Go to Google’s Android Beta page, scroll down to discover your gadget, and hit Opt Out. This will entail wiping all domestically saved information, so be sure you again up your gadget. You’ll get an replace immediate so you possibly can return to the older model.
If you do not have a Pixel or a tool within the Beta program, verify your producer’s web site, boards, or social media to study when you possibly can count on to see Android 13.
Top New Android 13 Features
We’ve famous our 13 favourite options and enhancements within the newest model, however there are lots of extra small upgrades. You can dig deeper at Google’s developer site.
Even More Customization
Google through Simon Hill
Building additional on Google’s Material You idea to allow deeper personalization, Android 13 helps extra colours within the theme choices. Currently you possibly can select from 4 wallpaper colours and 4 primary colours, however in Android 13, there are 16 of every. Just faucet and maintain on an empty little bit of dwelling display or go to Settings and select Wallpaper & fashion to discover the brand new shade theme choices. If you toggle on Themed icons, you must also see extra of these now. (Google is encouraging extra builders to create them, so it’s not simply Google and system app icons.)
Improved Copy and Paste
Courtesy of Google
When you copy one thing in Android 13, a small floating panel pops up on the backside of the display, and you possibly can faucet to edit the contents. You will generally see related choices. For instance, if you happen to copy a URL, you get an possibility to open it in your browser. You can even copy on one Android gadget and select to paste on one other that’s close by (if you happen to’re logged into the identical Gmail account), so no extra having to electronic mail your self from cellphone to pill. Your clipboard historical past will now be robotically cleared after some time (presumably an hour) to protect your privateness.
Enhanced Privacy
There are several improvements in Android 13 that restrict what your apps can entry. Firstly, when an app asks permission to entry media recordsdata, these will probably be categorized into photographs, video, or audio recordsdata. With the brand new photograph picker, you don’t have to grant entry to all your images. You can specify which images and movies an app can entry as a substitute of permitting it to dive into your entire photograph library (a function that has been out there on iPhones since iOS 14).
Until now, enabling an app to scan for Nearby Wi-Fi Devices meant granting it location-tracking permission. Thankfully, that’s now not the case, as there’s now a separate Nearby Wi-Fi Devices permission possibility. The Privacy dashboard (accessed through Settings > Privacy > Privacy dashboard), which shows all of the apps which have accessed the digital camera, microphone, location, and different permissions over the previous 24 hours, now can present historical past from the final seven days.
Fewer Notifications
When you put in an app with Android, it has permission to ship you notifications by default. Android 13 turns that on its head. From now on, apps should ask for permission earlier than they’ll begin sending you notifications.
Better Tablet Support
Google through Simon Hill
As Google finally gets serious about tablets, there are a number of adjustments in Android 13 designed to make life with bigger screens a bit simpler. On an Android pill or folding phone, now you can see a job bar on the backside with regularly used apps (you possibly can conceal it), a two-column association for fast settings and notifications, and simpler drag-and-drop multitasking with the choice to pin app pairs within the Recent Apps menu. There’s additionally assist for Wear OS smartwatches to unlock tablets robotically and audio switching assist, which means your wi-fi earbuds will change from cellphone to pill while you begin taking part in a film in your slate. Google has been rolling out updates to greater than 20 Google apps with redesigned interfaces that make use of bigger display sizes, together with YouTube Music and Google Maps (Android 13 not required).