As you may already know, Google I / O is upon us and it’s been a busy day so far, with the company announcing the Pixel 6a and Pixel Buds Pro, making fun of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, Pixel Watch and Pixel Tablet, and updating core apps like Maps and Translate while reviving previously deleted apps like Wallet.
And among all this, Google has still found time to release a new Android beta. We’re talking about Android 13 Beta 2, which should be released to registered Pixels starting today. If you want to enroll your Pixel in the Android Beta program, go to this site where you will find the list of your eligible devices (if any).
So it’s a one-click deal to sign up, and will subsequently receive an update with the new beta in hours (or less). From then on, you will receive all subsequent betas as over-the-air updates and also the final version of Android 13 when it arrives in the fall.
The next beta, coming in June, will achieve what Google calls Platform Stability, which means it will have the final Android 13 SDK and NDK APIs, as well as the final app-related system behaviors. From then on, it’s a race to the finish line to fix bugs!
Android 13 includes a new permission for sending notifications, a photo picker for privacy protection, improved permissions for pairing with nearby devices and access to media files, app-specific language settings, matching app icons with theme colors, support for HDR video, Bluetooth LE Audio, as well as MIDI 2.0 over USB. There are also a number of improvements for tablets and other cool things like automatic deletion of clipboard history after a short time and a multimedia control that includes album art.
In later releases, a new unified security and privacy settings page will be available, which will provide a clear, color-coded indicator of your security status and offer suggestions on how to improve things.
Google announces that beta versions are now available not only for Pixel, but also for Asus (for Zenfone 8), Lenovo (for Tab P12 Pro), Nokia (not live yet), OnePlus (for 10 Pro), Oppo and Realme devices (for Find X5 Pro and GT2 Pro), Sharp (for Aquos sense6), Tecno (for Camon 19 Pro 5G), vivo (for X80 Pro), Xiaomi (for 12, 12 Pro and Pad 5) and ZTE (for the Axon 40 Ultra).
However, keep in mind that each of these companies will manage their own subscriptions and support and provide you with beta updates directly, so don’t call Google if something goes wrong.
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