The year’s big Android upgrade, Android 13, is formally releasing right now for Google’s Pixel smart phones, the search giant has proclaimed. The yearly update is getting an official introduction a little sooner than normal, after Android 12’s launch in October 2021 as well as the Android 11 introduction back in September 2020.
The selection of upgrades appearing through this year’s edition of Android is most likely to be no stranger to if you’ve been staying up to date with Android 13’s beta releases. There’s the feature to customize non-Google app icons to complement your homescreen wallpaper that we saw in Android 13’s first developer preview, a new permission to cut down on notification spam, and also a new option to restrict which of your photos and videos an app can get access to.
The revision contains support for spatial audio with head tracking, that is built to make tones look as though they’re originating from a fixed point in space when you move your head while using compatible headphones, very similar to a feature Apple provides for its AirPods. Today’s article doesn’t say specifically which headphones this will work with, but Google earlier announced it would be revising its Pixel Buds Pro to give support for spatial audio.
Next, there’s the ability to stream messages from apps including Google Messages directly to a Chromebook, similar to iMessage on the Mac. It’s an additional function that Google revealed in January. As well as its own Messages app, one of Google’s promotional resources also displays this operating with the messaging app Signal, and also the organization points out the feature will work with “a lot of your other beloved messaging apps.” The update additionally includes a feature that assists you copy content from an Android mobile phone to be pasted on an Android tablet and the other way around.
Additional Android 13 attributes include the ability to set up languages on a per-app basis, an upgraded media player that changes its look based on what you’re listening to, support for Bluetooth Low Energy for superior sound quality at lower bitrates and reduced latency, enhanced multitasking on large-screen units with drag along with drop support for multitasking, and even better palm rejection whenever utilizing styluses.
This Android update should be coming to phones from many other suppliers including Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, HMD, Motorola, Sony, Realme Xiaomi, and Asus later this year, Google’s Sameer Samat writes in the announcement article. For more details on the updates coming in the update, have a look at Google’s blog post www.blog.google/products/android/android-13