Though Android 12L is still in the Beta program before the first-quarter launch, Google today announced the first Android 13 developer preview.
As you know, the first few preview builds are exclusively for developers. Some of the features introduced here might change a lot, some may be excluded, also, there could be a lot of unseen features as well. Moreover, the current Android 12 and Material You brought a colossal change. So we think the Android 13 won’t provide so many changes as its predecessor.
Android 13 once again talks about “privacy and security” as a major update, with a focus on “building a responsible, high-quality platform for everyone by providing a more secure environment on devices and giving users more control.” This starts with the system photo picker in Developer Preview 1 to provide “a standard and optimized way for users to securely share photos both locally and in the cloud”.
It allows users to pick and choose shared pictures and videos, while the Photo Picker API allows applications to access shared media “without requiring permission to view all media files on the device”. Google plans to bring this functionality to Android 11 (except the Go version) and later via an update to the MediaProvider module in the future.
Google is planning to release six versions over the next few months before rolling out a consumer version to Pixel phones and other devices later this year. Users can install Android 13 DP1 on compatible Pixel 4 (XL), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro.
Android 13 developer preview highlights
Pixel Launcher supports two home screen layouts and of course foldable devices.
A sixth app slot has been added to the taskbar on larger-screen devices.
The Split button returns to picture-in-picture
- This feature was removed in Android 12 L Beta 3.
Guest profiles can access installed applications from the main profile.
Silent mode now disables keyboard haptics and other vibrations.
Disables the ability to hold down Assistant/3-button navigation.
Now playing notifications for updates
- For YouTube Music, thumb up/down actions are replaced by repeating transitions
- New output selector with the volume slider
- Play icon is currently low resolution
Three new quick settings tiles
- Color correction
- One-handed operation mode: On/Off
- QR code: Currently broken
Quick Tap (on Pixel 5+) added “Toggle Flashlight”.
