At Google I / O we got a fresh and detailed look at Android 13. The sequel to Android 12 was first announced in February and is currently in beta (here’s how you can download it now). Google’s new operating system will debut to the public this fall with more Custom You materializations, improved privacy and security tools, more RCS messaging support, an updated Google Wallet, and better integrations with Chromebooks, watches, TVs, cars, and smart devices. house. The new software makes Android and Google’s vast software ecosystem more competitive with Apple’s extensive portfolio of software and services. The proof is in the numbers.
For the first time, Google shared the number of activated Android phones, which in 2021 exceeded 1 billion devices. And there are more than 3 billion active Android devices a month, according to Samir Samat, vice president of product management for Android and Google Play.
These statistics, combined with things like Samsung offering four years of major Android OS updates, put Google in a unique position. It should support a diverse range of old and new phones, as well as tablets and foldable devices. Fortunately, Android 13 is proof that Google is ready and eager to keep its jewelry operating system personalized and up-to-date, while giving Android phone owners a more seamless experience on multiple devices. Some of the features that Google highlighted are improvements to existing features or support for features in more countries.
Android 13 is currently in beta. See Google’s Android Beta website for more information.
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End-to-end encryption for RCS group chats in Messages
Google has been working with phone operators and manufacturers over the past few years to deploy Rich Communication Services as a feature-rich alternative to SMS and MMS text messaging. This provides support for high-quality photos, Wi-Fi messaging, a better group messaging experience, and input indicators that let you know when someone writes. The app now supports end-to-end automatic encryption for one-to-one calls, and support for encrypted group chats will appear later this year.
End-to-end encryption for group chats comes to Google Messages later this year.
Google notes that its Messages app, powered by RCS – the default text messaging app on many Android phones – already has half a billion active users a month on Android phones. Although the RCS standard may eventually become universal, it remains unsupported by iOS and other phone operating systems.
Google Wallet and Wear OS
Google Wallet, which initially debuted in 2011, received a number of updates and new functionality. Google Wallet can store digital versions of your core documents, including payment cards, transit cards, office badges, vaccine records, car keys, boarding passes, and student documents. The idea is to provide a faster and more secure alternative to physical maps. Google is working with U.S. states and international governments to support digital ID numbers, something Apple Wallet began maintaining in several U.S. states back in March.
Google Wallet stores your data and maps securely and locally on your device.
Google Wallet will also allow you to share a digital card via NFC or QR code, which may be a faster way to share card information instead of physically handing over your phone to the person verifying it.
Google Wallet also supports integrations with other applications you can join. For example, if you have a Google Wallet transport card, your map and balance will automatically appear on Google Maps when you search for directions. This way, if your balance is low, you can add more money to the fare before you arrive at your station or stop.
In terms of controlling your privacy, Google Wallet keeps everything secure on your phone and does not share data with Google services.
Later this summer, more than 40 countries that currently use Google Pay will be upgraded to Google Wallet. Exceptions are India, which will still use Google Pay, and the United States and Singapore, which will have both Google Wallet and Google Pay. Any device with Android 5 (Lollipop) or Wear OS will support it.
Urgent SOS is coming to Wear OS
When there are emergencies, our phones become even more important. As part of Android 12, Google has introduced Emergency SOS, which allows you to get help, contact a trusted person and share your emergency information without unlocking your phone. Google is working to introduce Emergency SOS in Wear OS.
As the Wear OS watches from Fossil, Montblanc, Mobvoi and others start to be released later this year, one feature they will all share is Emergency SOS.
Emergency location services, which are already built into Android, help first aiders find you when you call for help. ELS is now available to more than 1 billion people worldwide.
Early earthquake warnings via Android are already in effect in 25 countries, and this year Google will release them in riskier regions of the world. In places that do not have official early warning systems, Android can collect earthquake indications from phones. When devices first detect earthquake waves, Google analyzes phone data and sends an early warning to people in the area.
Android 12L and the future of tablets and folders
Google says it has 275 million active users of big screen devices, such as tablets and foldable phones. Android 12L was launched in March to help developers design applications for these larger screens. Android 13 continues where 12L stopped and introduces better multitasking than the split-screen app toolbar, as well as support and optimizations for more than 20 Google apps, including YouTube Music, Google Maps and Google Messages.
More material you
One of the most obvious changes in Android 12 was Material You. Android essentially adapts the way your home screen icons and apps look based on the colors in your wallpaper image. For Android 13, Google is introducing ready-made color sets for those who want something a little different. You choose the color scheme and it will be applied throughout the operating system.
Android 13 has new sets of color options to give you more control over how your phone looks.
Themed icons will no longer be limited to system applications. There is now a switch in Settings that allows you to include themed icons for all applications on the home screen.
Media controls also get a boost from Material You. When listening to music, the player window will take on the color of the album cover. There is also a new waveform progress bar that moves along with the audio.
In Android 13, the media player controls will use color from the album cover for everything you listen to.
Better privacy and security features
Application language settings now allow you to set different default languages for different applications. For example, your banking app can be set to English while your messaging app is in Hindi. Like the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro cameras, this is another example of Google being more inclusive and fair with its software and design.
Android Photo Selector adds a great privacy feature from iOS: You can restrict which photos and videos an app has access to. Instead of giving an app access to your full photo library, you can choose specific images for that particular app.
Android 13 will bring a new page of security and privacy in the settings, full of color-coded status, showing how secure your phone is.
Android now notifies you when an app accesses your clipboard for copying and pasting. But Android 13 goes even further and automatically erases the history of your phone’s clipboard after a short period of time.
Later this year, Google will add a unified security and privacy settings page that puts all the privacy and security data on your phone in the front and center. There will be a color-coded indicator that shows your security status and offers guidelines to make your phone more secure.
Android 13 works better with your other devices
Google says the average US household has 20 connected devices. Earlier this year, Google unveiled its vision of how Android will work better with your TV, cars, speakers and laptops. Android 13 will support quick pairing to set up new devices with your phone, automatically switch audio between devices for your headphones, and copy and paste between devices. It will also allow you to stream messages and other applications from your phone to your computer.
Chromecast is coming …
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