We thought the official version of Android 13 would arrive in September, but Google has finally decided to surprise us by launching it now. Android 13 stable is now official both in its AOSP version and in the out-of-the-box firmware in Google Pixels of Google Pixel 4.
Android 13 It’s not as drastic a change as Android 12.but it is rather a more refined version that improves the mainstays of Android 12 such as Material You or privacy changes, with several internal changes in terms of permissions.
Android 13 is official
It seemed that Google understood the Android launches, but everything went a little wrong with Android 12. On this occasion, the AOSP version was launched first, then the version for Pixels, and let’s not forget that the following month it arrived Android 12L to create even more confusion.
With Android 13 calm returns in the form of a simultaneous release of the open source version and that of Google. The official version comes something less than a month later Android 13 Beta 4.1, the latest Release Candidate.
What’s new in Android 13
-
News in You Material: themes can be applied to any icon, not just Google apps.
-
Language for each application: It is now possible to define a specific language for an application, different from the language used in the system.
-
new media player: The active media playback notification changes its design and includes a progress bar that “dances” to music.
-
Digital Wellbeing improvements: More customization options for Android sleep mode, including disabling wallpaper and using dark theme when it’s time to sleep.
-
Permissions for new media: Apps can now request permission to access photos, music, or documents, instead of getting permission for all media.
-
More private clipboard: Private data copied to the clipboard is not displayed in the overlay window. In addition, the clipboard is automatically cleaned from time to time.
-
Notification permission: Third-party applications (not those provided with the mobile) must request permission to send notifications.
-
spatial audioNote: Android 13 supports “Spatial Audio” on headphones with the necessary sensors.
-
Mail on the Chromebook: Soon it will be possible with Android 13 and a Chromebook, to continue using messaging applications from the laptop, thanks to streaming.
-
Copy from mobile to tablet: Another new feature of Android 13 that is not yet ready is the ability to copy links, photos, texts and videos from mobile to tablet or vice versa.
-
Bluetooth BLE audio support: Android 13 supports Bluetooth BLE audio streaming, with lower latency, improved quality, and the ability to connect to multiple devices at once.
-
new taskbar. On tablets or devices with a large screen, Android 13 has a taskbar where certain apps are displayed and can be swiped to the sides of the screen to activate split-screen mode.
-
Stylus improvements. On tablets, Android 13 registers palm and stylus strokes as separate touches, reducing accidental squiggles when you rest your hand on the screen.
-
HDR video support in third-party camera apps
-
Accessibility improvements such as braille display support in Talkback
Compatible mobiles
As usual, Android 13 has been released on a handful of Google phones. The latest version of the operating system can be downloaded and installed on the Google Pixel 4 or higher, both in the “standard” and “cheap pixel” models. In the coming weeks and months, models from other brands will be added, but for now stable Android 13 is exclusive to these phones:
Google expressly mentions that “later this year” Android 13 will also reach Samsung, ASUS, Nokia, IQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, Vivo, Xiaomi and more mobile phones, which are practically all existing brands.
How to install Android 13
If you have a Pixel (from 4) you can now update from Settings > System > Advanced > System update > Check for updates. The update will arrive from today as an OTA, although it may take some time to appear as available on mobile.
If you don’t want to wait, you can always choose to flash the new version manually, something you can do the old fashioned way or with Google’s web flash (Google’s recommended method). The firmwares are available here and the steps are as follows:
- From a computer, download the system image according to your device. You can find it on the Google website.
- Unzip the file you downloaded.
- Connect the mobile to the computer via a cable.
- On mobile, make sure Developer Options is active and enable OEM Unlocking and USB Debugging.
- Turn on the mobile in fastboot mode.
- Unlock, if necessary, the mobile bootloader.
- Open a command prompt and locate the directory where you unzipped the downloaded system image file.
- Run the script flash-all.
Once you have done this, the script will install the necessary bootloader and firmware for the operating system. Then you will see that the device is rebooting and that is when you need to lock bootloaderfor which you have to start the mobile in fastboot mode and run flasboot flashing lock (in older mobiles, it’s quick start oem lock).
Table of Contents
