The year’s big Android up-date, Android 13, is officially releasing right now for Google’s Pixel mobile phones, the search giant has publicized. The annual update is getting an official release a little earlier than normal, following Android 12’s release last October as well as Android 11’s launch back in September 2020.
The rundown of updates coming in in this year’s version of Android is most likely to be no stranger to if you’ve been staying on top of Android 13’s beta releases. There’s the capacity to tailor non-Google app icons to complement your homescreen wallpaper that we saw in Android 13’s first developer preview, a new permission to lower notification spam, and a new option to restrict which of your photos and also videos an app can get access to.
The revision includes assistance for spatial audio with head tracking, that is built to make noises seem as though they’re originating from a fixed point in space when you move your head whilst using compatible headphones, quite similar to a capability Apple offers for its AirPods. Today’s post doesn’t say just which headphones this will use, but Google previously stated it would be revising its Pixel Buds Pro to give support for spatial audio.
Additionally, there’s the capability to stream messages from apps such as Google Messages directly to a Chromebook, identical to iMessage on the Mac. It’s an additional function that Google revealed in January. In addition to its own Messages app, one of Google’s promo properties also shows this getting the job done with the messaging app Signal, and also the firm claims the feature will work with “many of your many other beloved messaging apps.” The upgrade likewise incorporates a feature that helps you copy content from an Android smartphone to be pasted on an Android tablet and the other way around.
Some other Android 13 features include the ability to specify languages on a per-app basis, an overhauled 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 also reduced latency, increased multitasking on large-screen devices with drag along with drop support for multitasking, and better palm rejection whenever using styluses.
This update could be coming to phones from various other makers such as Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, HMD, Motorola, Sony, Realme Xiaomi, and Asus later this year, Google’s Sameer Samat announces in the announcement post. For more specifics on the updates appearing in the update, look at Google’s blog post here