At Google I/O on Wednesday, we obtained a contemporary and detailed have a look at Android 13. The new telephone OS was introduced again in February, however will debut this fall. It builds on the modifications that got here with Android 12 and provides extra Material You personalizations, elevated instruments for privateness and safety, extra RCS messaging assist, a revamped Google Wallet and higher integrations with Chromebooks, watches, TVs, automobiles and good dwelling gadgets. The new software program makes Android and Google’s huge software program ecosystem extra aggressive with Apple’s large portfolio of software program and companies. The proof is within the numbers.For the primary time ever, Google shared the variety of Android telephone activations, which in 2021 exceeded 1 billion gadgets. And there are greater than 3 billion energetic Android gadgets month-to-month based on Sameer Samat, vice chairman of product administration for Android and Google Play.Those statistics, mixed with issues like Samsung providing 4 years of main Android OS updates, put Google in a novel place. It has to assist a various array of outdated and new telephones in addition to tablets and foldables. Luckily, Android 13 is proof that Google is prepared and keen to maintain its crown jewel OS customizable and updated whereas giving Android telephone house owners a extra seamless expertise throughout a number of gadgets. Some of the options Google highlighted are enhancements to present options or assist for options in additional nations. Android 13 is presently in beta. For extra info try Google’s Android Beta web site.

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Android 13: Our Favorite New Features

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End-to-end encryption for RCS group chats in MessagesGoogle labored with carriers and telephone producers during the last a number of years to roll out Rich Communication Services as a feature-rich various to SMS and MMS textual content messaging. This gives assist for high-quality images, messaging over Wi-Fi, a greater group messaging expertise and typing indicators, which let you recognize when somebody is typing. The app already helps end-to-end encryption for one-to-one conversations mechanically, and assist for encrypted group chats will roll out later this yr.End-to-end encryption for group conversations is coming to Google Messages later this yr.
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Google notes that its RCS-powered Messages app — the default texting app on many Android telephones — already has half a billion month-to-month energetic customers on Android telephones. While the RCS customary might ultimately grow to be common, for now it stays unsupported on iOS and different telephone working programs.Google Wallet and Wear OSGoogle Wallet, which initially debuted in 2011, will get a lot of updates and new performance. Google Wallet can retailer digital variations of your important paperwork, together with cost playing cards, transit passes, workplace badges, vaccine data, automobile keys, boarding passes and pupil IDs. The concept is to offer a quicker, safer various to bodily playing cards. Google is working with US states and worldwide governments to assist digital IDs, one thing Apple Wallet began to assist in a number of US states again in March.Google Wallet shops your knowledge and playing cards securely and domestically in your gadget.
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Google Wallet may also permit you to share a digital card over both NFC or a QR code, which may very well be a quicker method to share a card’s info as a substitute of bodily handing your telephone over to the individual checking it. Google Wallet additionally helps integrations with different apps you can decide into. For instance, when you have a transit card in Google Wallet, your card and stability will mechanically present up in Google Maps once you seek for instructions. That method, in case your stability is low, you’ll be able to add extra money for the fare earlier than you arrive at your station or cease. In phrases of controlling your privateness, Google Wallet shops all the things securely in your telephone and does not share knowledge with Google companies. Later this summer time greater than 40 nations that presently use Google Pay shall be upgraded to Google Wallet. The exceptions are India, which is able to nonetheless use Google Pay, and the US and Singapore which could have each Google Wallet and Google Pay. Any gadget working Android 5 (Lollipop) or Wear OS will assist it.Emergency SOS is coming to Wear OSWhen there’s an emergency, our telephones grow to be much more very important. As a part of Android 12, Google rolled out Emergency SOS which helps you to get assist, contact a trusted individual and share your emergency info with out unlocking your telephone. Google is working to carry Emergency SOS to Wear OS.As Wear OS watches from Fossil, Montblanc, Mobvoi and others begin to roll out later this yr, one function they’ll all share is Emergency SOS.
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Emergency Location Services, which is already constructed into Android, helps first responders discover you once you name for assist. ELS is now accessible to greater than 1 billion folks worldwide.Early Earthquake Warnings through Android are already in place in 25 nations, and this yr Google will launch them in additional high-risk areas all over the world. In locations that do not have official early warning programs, Android can crowdsource indications of an earthquake from telephones. When gadgets first detect waves generated by quakes, Google analyzes the info from telephones and sends an early warning alert to folks in that space.

Android 12L and the way forward for tablets and foldablesGoogle says that there are 275 million energetic customers on massive display gadgets reminiscent of tablets and foldable telephones. In March, Android 12L launched to assist builders design apps for these bigger screens. Android 13 continues the place 12L left off and introduces higher multitasking from the toolbar for cut up display apps in addition to assist and optimizations for greater than 20 Google apps together with YouTube Music, Google Maps and Google Messages.More Material YouProbably the most apparent modifications in Android 12 was Material You. Android basically adapts the best way your property display and app icons look primarily based on colours present in your wallpaper picture. For Android 13, Google is introducing premade colour units for many who need one thing just a little completely different. You select the colour scheme and it will be utilized throughout the complete OS.Android 13 has new colour variant units to present you extra management over the best way your telephone appears.
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Themed icons will not be restricted to system apps. There’s now a toggle in Settings that permits you to flip themed icons on for all apps on your property display.Media controls additionally get a lift from Material You. When you are listening to music, the participant window will undertake the colour of the album art work. There’s additionally a brand new waveform progress bar that strikes alongside to the audio.In Android 13, the media participant controls will use a colour from the album art work for no matter you are listening to.
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Better privateness and security measuresThe App Language Settings now permits you to set completely different default languages for various apps. For instance, your financial institution app may be set to English whereas your messaging app is in Hindi. Like the cameras on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, that is one other instance of Google being extra inclusive and equitable with its software program and design.The Android Photo Picker provides an excellent privateness function that originated in iOS: You can restrict which images and movies an app has entry to. Instead of granting an app entry to your full photograph library, you’ll be able to select particular photographs for that specific app.Android 13 will carry a brand new Security and Privacy web page to Settings full with a color-coded standing displaying how safe your telephone is.
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Android already notifies you when an app accesses your copy and paste clipboard. But Android 13 goes even additional and mechanically deletes your telephone’s clipboard historical past after a brief time period.Later this yr, Google will add a unified Security and Privacy settings web page that places all of your telephone’s knowledge privateness and safety entrance and heart. There shall be a color-coded indicator displaying your security standing and providing steerage to make your telephone safer.Android 13 works higher together with your different gadgetsGoogle says the typical US family has 20 linked gadgets. Earlier this yr Google revealed its imaginative and prescient for a way Android will work higher together with your TV, automobiles, audio system and laptops. Android 13 will assist quick pairing for establishing new gadgets together with your telephone, automated audio switching between gadgets in your headphones and copy-pasting between gadgets. It’ll additionally allow you to stream messages and different apps out of your telephone to your laptop.Chromecast is coming to automobiles.
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The Chromecast will assist extra gadgets from corporations reminiscent of Bose, TCL, Sony, Vizio and LG. It may also lengthen casting capabilities to new merchandise, reminiscent of to Chromebooks and even your automobile.Wear OS has new apps from Spotify and Adidas. It will assist turn-by-turn instructions for biking and strolling utilizing haptic suggestions, just like the Apple Watch does.The Google Play Store will get a visible overhaul. The app appears cleaner. The retailer is simpler to navigate and apps are simpler to seek out. A giant yearly Android replace vs. smaller common updatesAndroid 13 brings extra performance, safety and privateness to your telephone. And whereas yearly main Android updates aren’t going anyplace, Google’s made it clear that options reminiscent of Google Wallet and RCS messaging are prone to be up to date as wanted throughout gadgets. This may very well be significantly helpful for telephones which may not obtain Android 13, however will nonetheless get the enhancements from updates to the Wallet and Messages apps. I’m excited to strive Android 13 out and see what the ultimate model appears like later this yr.