Google is starting to roll out Android 13, the big new version of its mobile operating system. For the moment, only certain Pixel models are affected, but smartphones from other brands should soon follow.
Google took a bit of a lead this year. Usually, the Internet giant deploys its new versions of Android after the start of the school year – Android 12 was deployed last October and Android 11 in September 2020. This time, it is in the heart of summer that its new system of exploitation happens. In a blog post published on August 15the company announced that it had officially begun the rollout ofAndroid 13 on its Pixel smartphones. The update will soon roll out to smartphones from other manufacturers.
Among the new features, 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’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. It’s now officially rolling out since mid-August 2022. Those with a Pixel 3 or newer will start to see the update arrive today or later this week.. But official release does not always rhyme with availability. Users of non-Google devices will need to however wait for 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 are the first served for the update. Pixels 3, 4, 4XL, 4a, 4a 5G, 5, 5a 5G, 6 and 6 Pro are therefore affected. In addition, the firm announced that the updates should arrive on devices from Samsung, 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.