Android 13 was announced at Google I/O 2022 and launched in August 2022. It builds on Android 12 with new features, enhancements, and privacy protections. Here’s what’s new and worth knowing about Android 13.
Improved Privacy and Security
Android 13 focuses heavily on privacy and security. Some key improvements include:
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Photo Picker – Apps must use a system photo picker instead of their own custom UI. This means apps can no longer see all photos on your device when accessing the camera or photos.
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Approximate location sharing – Apps targeting Android 13 can request approximate location access rather than precise location. This gives users better control over location data sharing.
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Clipboard read notification – A toast notification will appear when an app reads content from the clipboard. This makes it more transparent when apps access your clipboard data.
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Clear Calling – An ML model runs locally on-device to remove background noise on calls for better clarity and privacy. Nothing is sent to Google’s servers.
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Random MAC address – When connecting to different WiFi networks, Android 13 will use a random MAC address instead of your device’s actual address. This obfuscates your device identity.
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New runtime permission for notifications – Apps must request explicit permission from the user to post notifications. This prevents spammy notifications.
Improved User Experience
In addition to privacy and security, Android 13 also focuses on refinements and UI changes to create a better overall user experience.
Themed app icons
Developers can now theme their app icons to match the system UI in color, giving a more cohesive look. The icon will automatically tint to match the system theme, whether light or dark mode.
Language settings per app
Users can set the language they want to use specifically for each individual app. This allows having apps in different languages on the same device based on user preferences.
Updatable APK modules
Developers can now deliver updates to parts of an app via APK modules distributed through Google Play instead of having to build and release an entirely new APK. This results in much smaller updates focused on specific app functionality.
Foreground service notifications
When apps use foreground services, an associated notification must now display what the app is doing. This provides more transparency into ongoing background processing.
Media playback in notifications
The notification shade now has support for media playback controls such as play/pause, allowing quick access without needing to open the app.
Tablet and Foldable Optimizations
Android 13 introduces new features and optimizations specifically for tablets and foldable devices.
| Feature | Description |
|-|-|
| Two-column layout | The system UI takes advantage of extra screen real estate by using two columns on landscape-oriented large screens. This provides more content density. |
| New taskbar | A new taskbar shows favorite and recent apps for easy multitasking. It can also show contextual controls and actions. |
| Resizeable windows | Apps can enable freeform resizing for their activities to allow adjustable windows. |
| New APIs | New APIs help developers better support different screen sizes, orientations, and folding/unfolding postures. |
Under the Hood Improvements
Beyond the user-facing features, Android 13 includes lower-level improvements to performance, compatibility, and capabilities.
- Better Bluetooth LE Audio support – New codec support allows high quality audio playback for LE Audio compatible devices.
- MIDI 2.0 support – Android can now function as a MIDI 2.0 controller to connect to MIDI 2.0 compatible hardware.
- AV1 support – The Android media API and supported codecs now include the AV1 video codec for higher quality and efficiency.
- Better QPR support – Reduced process wake-ups when idle and deferred non-critical tasks. This allows lower latency deviation for better Real-Time OS behavior.
- Ongoing Project Mainline updates – Background system components can continue to be updated through Google Play for faster delivery of fixes and improvements.
When Can You Get It?
Android 13 began rolling out to Pixel devices in August 2022. Other Android smartphone OEMs will upgrade their flagship phones over the following months.
The Android 13 source code has also been published so custom ROM developers can start porting to other devices.
Overall Android 13 represents a solid improvement over Android 12, with particular emphasis on privacy, customization, tablets, and under-the-hood optimizations. Key new user-facing features include themed icons, per-app language, media playback notifications, and improved location controls.
