In this guide we will be talking about the Android 13 features. The Android 13 beta is now officially out and Google Pixel users can also try it out on their devices. Before the beta was released, Google had also released two Android 13 developer previews.
If you are looking to try out Android 13 beta to test out it’s features, you need to keep in mind that even though the software has already been through two developer previews, there still may be bugs and some minor issues as this is not the final version of the software and it is still in the development stage.
There is still some time before the final version of Android 13 is out. Before the final release, there will be a minimum of two more beta versions of the Android software.
So if you are facing difficulty in using the current software as your daily driver, you could also wait until better versions of the firmware is released.
But if you want to get the experience of the beta version, you will see that there are a lot of Android 13 features that have been added along with improvements and enhancements in other aspects of the Android 13 beta software.
These include an improved media playback window and further customization options within Material You. Apart from this, the user interface has been optimized and tweaked to provide a better overall experience for users.
An example of this is that the smart home controls are now available on the lock screen as well. In this guide here, we will be discussing some of the prominent Android 13 features that are available in Android 13 beta.
1. Visual enhancements to Media playback
Android 13 brought an improved look to the Android 12 Material You media controls found in quick settings. The new interface for media playback in the quick settings panel much more visually appealing and elegant, especially with the addition of the album art in the background.
2. Adjustments for icons and text
Adjustment for icon size and text was already available in older versions of Android, but with Android 13, we see both of the options combines together so the text and icon size are more easily adjustable. Previously it was quite difficult to adjust the sizes relative to each other, but now it is much easier.
Also, you get a preview on your screen as you are adjusting the icon size and text size. In order to make use of this feature, you will have to proceed to Settings > Display > Display size and text.
3. Faster QR Code Scanner
Nowadays, the use of QR code is becoming more and more common. Be it on advertisements or restaurant menus, users now find themselves using the QR code scanner on their phones more frequently than ever before. Keeping this in mind, Google decided to give the QR code scanner an upgrade.
With Android 13, the QR code scanner in the stock camera application is now faster at capturing the image of a QR code and loading the relevant information tied to it. In addition to this, the QR code scanner can now also provide further details to what applications a QR code needs to make use of before proceeding to the attached link. This feature can be added to your quick settings menu, but first you will need to enable the Quick tile for this Android 13 feature.
4. New screensavers
Adding to the list of Android 13 features are the new Android 13 screensavers. What’s new is that Google will be providing new features to the lock screen screensavers, similar to the ones that can be seen on an always on display. These will include shortcuts to data such as steps and battery life. As of now, we do not get to see these features in the screen saver, but they are still great to look at. Screen savers are turned on when your device is being charged.
5. App suggestions
In older versions of Android, users could see their most frequently used applications at the top row of the app drawer. This was not a feature of Android 12. But this feature is back as one of the many Android 13 features. You can enable this feature by going to Home settings > Suggestions. Turn on the toggle for Suggestions in all apps list is turned on. When the option is enabled, you will be able to see app suggestions in the app drawer.
6. More Material You color options
The Material You color theme picker is much more expanded in Android 13. There are much more wallpaper and theme options available in many colors. You can choose any one you prefer by going to Settings > Wallpaper & style.
With Android 13, we also get to see themed icons. The themed icons improve the overall look of the user interface and blend in perfectly with the applied themes. The matching app icons now look much more suited to the themes. You can enable themed app icons from the device’s Settings application.
7. Lock Screen Smart home controls
Another one of Android 13 features are the lock screen smart home controls. Google has made the smart home controls much more accessible and easier to use by providing all of the controls on the lock screen of the device. Users can access them directly rather than having to unlock their device every time they have to carry out minor tasks such as switching the lights on or off or adjusting the temperature.
Some users may complain that this Android 13 feature may cause some issues as someone could easily access these controls as they would not need to unlock your device. So for this, a feature called the “Control from locked device” is available, which you can toggle off if you do not want people messing with your smart home controls.
8. New Clipboard helper
An entirely new clipboard has been introduced by Google in Android 13. This Android 13 feature is a big upgrade from the stock Android clipboard. In the new version, we get to see a little dialog pop up which allows you to do much more with your copied text and images. Whenever you copy text or an image from the internet, you will see a little dialog window present itself in the bottom left of your screen.
This allows you carry out different actions with your clippings such as editing text or images before you use it somewhere else or send it to someone else. You can also close the clipboard widget and edit your clippings later. This is much more convenient for users who make use of the clipboard frequently.
9. Spatial audio and Bluetooth LE
Another Android 13 is Spatial audio. This feature brings head tracking brings theater-like sound from the movie or video you’re watching. Support for Bluetooth LE is also a part of the latest software. This feature helps in reducing the power consumption of connected bluetooth devices and provides better audio quality.
10. App languages
This feature is not available yet, but Google announced that they will be introducing an Android 13 feature that will allow users to set different languages for different applications. This would prove very helpful for users who understand and use different languages.
So that was it from our side on Android 13 features. We hope that you found this guide helpful. Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
