Google continues to roll out Android 13, the big new version of its mobile operating system. And it’s Samsung’s turn to start updating its smartphones! In France, owners of the Galaxy S22 already have the right to it.
Android 13 is expected like the messiah! Launched on Google’s Pixel smartphones this summer, the new mobile operating system will start rolling out to Samsung models this fall, with One UI 5, the latest version of the manufacturer’s software overlay, which has just revealed its schedule. deployment to its Korean customers, as spotted SamMobile. Variations in dates are inevitable but, generally, the deployment of updates in Europe occurs a few days after that in the native country of the manufacturer. Moreover, Android 13 is already available for the Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra. It is therefore recommended, for their owners, to dig into the smartphone settings to see if the update is available. The other devices of the brand will be entitled to it in the coming months.
Among the new features offered by Android 13, we can appreciate the small aesthetic changes made to the interface but also new features concerning security, confidentiality and general ergonomics. Google also specifies that it will take over some of the functions already present in Android 12L, a special version of the system adapted to tablets and smartphones with a folding screen.
What are the rollout dates for other Samsung smartphones?
Regarding the other mobiles and tablets marketed by Samsung, most models will be updated by January 2023. We note the absence of the Galaxy S10, released under Android 9 Pie, which no longer benefits from Android updates. . The device, on the other hand, is still supported by monthly security patches. The South Korean roadmap for UI 5 rollout is as follows:
October 2022
- Galaxy S22
- Galaxy S22+
- Galaxy S22 Ultra
November 2022
- Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Galaxy Z Flip 3
- Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra
- Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra
- Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra
- Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+
- Galaxy A53 5G
- Galaxy A33 5G
December 2022
- Galaxy Z Gold 2
- Galaxy Z Flip 5G
- Galaxy Z Flip
- Galaxy S20 FE
- Galaxy Tab S7 FE, S7 FE 5G
- Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
- Galaxy A52s 5G
- Galaxy A51 5G
- Galaxy A42 5G
- Galaxy A32
- Galaxy Jump/Jump2
January 2023
- Galaxy Tab A8
- Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
- Galaxy Tab Active3
- Galaxy Buddy2
- Galaxy Wide6
- Galaxy Wide 5
- Galaxy Buddy
- Galaxy A23
- Galaxy A13
- Galaxy M12
- Galaxy XCover5
February 2023
What’s new in Android 13?
First aesthetic changes, the firm’s Pixel smartphones will no longer be the only ones to have Material You customization which allows you to adapt the color of the icons to the chosen wallpaper. The icons of all applications (and no longer just those of Google) will be able to harmonize with the wallpaper and even benefit from a dark mode. “Starting with Android 13, users can opt for themed app icons. With this feature, icons in compatible Android app launchers are tinted to inherit the wallpaper color and app icons. other themes chosen by the user”write the Google teams.
In addition, application developers can allow the user to add a tile himself in the shortcuts pane in order to directly access a function and this, without going through the system settings. Practice. In the radius of shortcuts precisely, Google finally integrates a module allowing you to scan a QR Code without having to first launch the Camera app. It was time.
In a much more anecdotal way, Android 13 allows you to change the position of the time on the lock screen, which is displayed by default large in the center. An option offers the possibility of pinning it as a thumbnail on a single line, for example at the top left of the screen, as is the case with Android 12 when notifications appear. A detail, then.
In terms of ergonomics, Google makes it easier to use Android and the applications installed for users who work in several languages. Thus, a launched application can be displayed in a language different from that retained for the system. This function, which may seem trivial, will be very useful for bilinguals but it will also help to avoid the approximate or awkward translations found in certain applications.
Sharing your smartphone occasionally with another user is also easier. A new menu allows you to add a guest who will obviously not have access to your personal data and files. It is not necessary to have a Google account installed on the device to take advantage of it as is already the case currently. Above all, the owner of the mobile can define the applications that the guest will be able to use.
The system also strengthens the control of notifications and regularly cleans the clipboard. Indeed, in Android 13, applications are subject to an individual authorization request to display notifications, as is already the case to access, for example, location or the camera. This personalized control will thus avoid the profusion of notifications, which generate an overload of information that is not always relevant or even a little stress in certain cases.
Google also strengthens the security of personal data. With Android 13, it is possible to authorize an application to access a selection of multimedia files saved on the device and not all the photos and videos stored. A function that should subsequently be deployed in the earlier versions of Android (from Android 11 but with the exception of Android Go).
In addition, Android 13 introduces an innovative function for managing energy consumption. Baptized TARE, for The Android Resource Economy, it uses a system of resource credits allocated to applications. Each application declares the number of “tokens” it needs to perform its tasks and it is the system that decides whether to grant them or not, depending on the level of battery charge, and therefore the remaining energy capacity. An original idea that allows Android to give priority to applications deemed important to the detriment of others, more accessories, which may then no longer function normally once their credit is exhausted.
Android 13 also enables spatial audio with head tracking for compatible earphones and headsets, and adopts Bluetooth EE Audio, a new standard for Bluetooth devices that saves power, provides better sound and share it with multiple devices. Android 13 also improves support for tablets, the user can see all their apps at a glance and drag and drop them on the multitasking screen. The system also better detects the palm of the hand and the stylus, and the system now incorporates a new taskbar to manage applications.
What is the release date of Android 13?
As a reminder, Android 9 was officially released on August 6, 2018, Android 10 on September 3, 2019, Android 11 on September 8, 2020, and Android 12 on October 4, 2021. Android 13 remained in its beta phase for a while after going through two Developer Previews. In a blog post published on August 15Google had announced that it had officially started the rollout ofAndroid 13 on its Pixel smartphones, and that the update would quickly extend to smartphones from other manufacturers. Because official release does not always rhyme with availability. Users of non-Google devices have to wait until an unspecified date to get their hands on the mobile operating system. We already know that not all manufacturers will update their devices at the same time. Indeed, unlike Windows or macOS which are installed on demand as soon as they are released, Android is installed either at the factory, by the manufacturer of the device, or via an update which depends on the software overlay used by the constructor. There is therefore no risk of seeing Android 13 on many models before the end of 2022.
Which devices will be able to benefit from Android 13?
The pace of deployment of new versions of Android has always been very slow. As usual, Google’s Pixel smartphones were the first served for the update. This was the case for the Pixels 3, 4, 4XL, 4a, 4a 5G, 5, 5a 5G, 6 and 6 Pro and, of course, the brand new Pixel 7 released a few weeks ago. It is now Samsung smartphones that are affected. For others, Google has announced that updates are expected to come to devices from Asus, HMD Global, iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, Xiaomi, “and more”, “later this year”.
Given the average lifespan of an operating system and the updates from manufacturers that enrich it with their own software overlay, it is reasonable to predict that many mid-range and high-end smartphones that will be released in 2023 will be equipped with Android 13 as standard, and this will be the case for almost all the models that will arrive later, including entry-level. There remains the eternal question of previous models, that is to say current smartphones. And there, everything will depend on the policy of each manufacturer (you can consult our practical sheet on this subject). Some, like Samsung and Sony, are “good students by providing three major Android updates – and four years of security updates – which guarantees a good lifespan for their devices. The Korean had indicated last year that its S, Z, Note, A, XCover and Tab series devices released since 2019 would benefit from four years of security updates.Most others, such as Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, Vivo, Asus , OnePLus, Lenovo-Motorola, LG, or even ZTE, are content with two major system updates, and some are limited to just one after the release of their models, which quickly makes them obsolete… As with Android 12, it will be necessary to see on a case-by-case basis, by monitoring the proposed updates.