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(Pocket-lint) – Google has released this year’s major Android update, Android 13, for Google Pixel phones.
The annual update is released earlier than expected, given Android 12 released last October and Android 11 released in September 2020. Many people expected Android 13 to arrive this autumn. The software has been available to beta testers for months, and those betas have revealed key features coming with Android 13. Pocket-lint rounded up the most interesting changes in our Android 13 guide.
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Read: When is Android 13 coming to my phone?
Some of the new features in Android 13 include:
- Customise non-Google app icons to match your home screen wallpaper
- Stream messages from apps including Google Messages directly to a Chromebook
- This is similar to iMessage on the Mac
- Support for spatial audio with head tracking
- Makes sounds seem like they’re coming from a fixed point in space
- Works when you move your head while wearing compatible headphones
- Google doesn’t mention which headphones support it beyond Pixel Buds Pro
- Set languages on a per-app basis
- Redesigned media player that adjusts its look based on what’s playing
- Support for Bluetooth Low Energy
- Improved multitasking on large-screen devices
- Drag and drop support for multitasking
- Better palm rejection when using styluses
- New permission to reduce notification spam
- New option to restrict which of your photos and videos an app can access
Starting 15 August 2022, the Pixel 4, Pixel 5, and Pixel 6 devices will get Android 13 as a free over-the-air software update. Or, if you’re ready to install Android 13 on your Pixel now, the OTA images are available here. The software update is expected to arrive later this year for devices from other manufacturers including Asus, HMD, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sony, Xiaomi, and Samsung.
“This month, all supported Pixel devices running Android 12 will receive the Android 13 software update, which begins rolling out for most users today. The rollout will continue over the next few weeks depending on the carrier. Users will receive a notification once the OTA becomes available for their device”, a Google support page for Android 13 reads. “Check your Android version and update to receive the latest software.”
If you were in the Android 13 beta, you will get the final Android 13 release and can remain enrolled to receive beta updates for upcoming Feature Drops.
Writing by Maggie Tillman.
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