On Monday, Google announced the launch of Android 13 on Pixel smartphones. The new OS version will be available on Samsung, Xiaomi, Nokia, and more smartphones later this year. Android 13 will allow multilingual users to assign specific languages to individual apps. A new media player changes its appearance based on the type of music or podcast a user is listening to. Android users will soon be able to mirror messaging apps from their handsets to Chromebooks with the new OS version, the company announced.
Availability of Android 13
Starting Monday, Google will begin rolling out the stable version of Android 13 to its Pixel smartphones. The Pixel phones receiving the update are the Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a, according to the changelog.
Google Play Services reveals that Android 13 rollouts for Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6a contain a bootloader update that increments the anti-rollback version. After updating, a user cannot revert to Android 12. “Flashing an Android 13 build on these devices will not allow you to flash older Android 12 builds,” the company said.
Additionally, the Android 13 update will be rolled out later this year to other smartphones, including Samsung Galaxy, Asus, HMD (Nokia phones), iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, Xiaomi, and more.
What’s new in Android 13
This Android 13 update for Pixel smartphones includes several bug fixes related to apps, Google Assistant, audio, charging, and more. Biometrics appears to be the most notable fix in the update. According to Google, the update fixes an issue where the app crashed during fingerprint unlock, which prevented users from using fingerprint unlock when the notification shade was down. Additionally, the company has resolved a problem that prevented the face unlock feature from working. Also included in the update are improvements to the fingerprint scanner’s performance, stability, and reliability.
NFC payments are also supported in secondary profiles of the Android 13 update for Google Pixel phones. Bluetooth connectivity and the camera are fixed. Android 13 on Pixel handsets has improved palm detection and response, according to the company. According to the changelog, Google has worked on gesture navigation support with third-party launchers, along with the phone setup experience.
According to Google, Android 13 brings an “evolved look and style based on Material You”. With this feature, users can customize third-party apps to match the theme and color scheme with the wallpaper. With Android 13, individual apps can also be assigned specific languages. Additionally, the latest OS update includes a media player that changes its appearance depending on the type of music or podcast a user is listening to.
Android 13 introduces more customisation options for Bedtime mode. In addition, users can choose which images and videos apps can access. With the new Android OS version, apps will have to seek the user’s “explicit” permission before sending notifications. In addition, users will soon be able to mirror messaging apps from their phones to their Chromebooks. Android 13 also adds Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) audio, which allows users to hear better synced audio with reduced delay, according to Google.
The new Android OS version supports HDR video for third-party camera apps. Android 13 now allows users to copy-paste content from their phone to their table or vice versa. The Android 13 update brings a new, updated taskbar that is supposed to make multitasking easier for tablets. With the update, the tablets will now register touches separately from a user’s palm and stylus pen
