Developer Preview 1 Unveils New Features

Quite unexpectedly, there is the new version of Android. It is not yet about the final release, but about the first Developer Preview test version of Android 13. With this we immediately see some new functions.

Android 13 DP1

The beginning of Android 13 is a fact. Where only a handful of devices are now equipped with Android 12, the successor is now ready. This while there are still plenty of reports about it being a version that is not yet intended for the general public. This means that it is a developer version; Developer Preview 1. In this version we immediately come across something new.

photo picker

New, for example, is the new photo selector. It features new icons, icons and the application of the Material You theme. You can also choose which albums you want to use. According to Google, this one is safer to use because you can use the new dialer without requiring an app to access your images itself. Google would put this new file picker rolling out via a Google Play system update to devices with Android 11 or higher. Also new is the option to enable theme icons for the apps. This also works with third-party apps, not just Google’s own apps.

Language and WiFi

There have been rumors about the possibility to set a different language per app. That function is now definitively introduced with Android 13. In addition, Google is rolling out a new WiFi permission, one that allows you to discover and connect to other WiFi devices nearby. A new feature is that you do not have to give location permission to the app that wants to recognize devices.

Photo via 9to5Google

Other improvements

In terms of user interface, we see a lot of Android 12L in Android 13 DP1 and that is not surprising, given the work on the interface in 12L. For example, there is a new menu when switching between wallpapers from the home screen. The interface has also been slightly adjusted when switching apps and the notification screen tells you that there are no more notifications.

Furthermore, it becomes possible to put the Assistant to work by long pressing the home button. The Quick Tap feature will soon have the option to turn on the flashlight and we’ll also see new icons for ‘Now Playing’.

For applications that use custom tiles, it is made easier to add these tiles to your quick settings in the notification bar as well. Via the tile placement API, you as a user can get a pop-up asking if you want to add it to your quick settings without having to leave the app. In Android 13 it will be possible to add a tile for scanning a QR code or using the one-hand mode.

beta

Google has shared a timeline of what we can expect from Android 13. The beta version will be released earlier than previous Android versions. A next beta version will be released in March; the first beta is coming in April; followed by one in May. More stable beta versions will be released in June and July. A date for the release of Android 13 has not yet been announced. This usually happens in the fall, but it may well be that Google will also bring this to the fore.

Android 13 Developer Preview is made available for the Pixel 6, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4. Nice detail; although the sweet names are no longer used with Android versions; is this one at Android 13 Tiramisu.