Android 13’s next big update beta is available, and that means Google Pixel owners can try out the latest Android features before everyone else if they want to (although we don’t recommend trying this on a device you use regularly).
A deep dive into the update code by an Android expert Mishaal Rahman and Esper (Opens in a new tab) It revealed several in-progress improvements to the operating system. Not all of these items are guaranteed to be released, if any, but hopefully they look like a useful set of upgrades.
Our favorite feature from what Rahman found is evidence of a clock customization system and a new screensaver that can display weather, media, home controls, and just-in-time “at a glance” style information alongside the familiar clock, in either normal or dim-light themes. . It looks similar to the lock screen and clock widgets that were just added to iOS 16, and while Google has provided some customization options already, the more freedom to add all the information you could want to one screen feels great.
New SystemUI screensaver when you dock your tablet and the ambient light is low. pic.twitter.com/QjtbR6mo4kOctober 5, 2022
Rahman notes that the changes to the screensaver in particular seem to be aimed at the Google Pixel Tablet. While the tablet isn’t yet on sale, Google has already detailed its plans to make this tablet a mobile smart home hub as much as it is a tablet.
Google is also working on improvements to the desktop mode, according to Rahman’s findings. There’s now a shortcut to activate it in the quick settings menu, and the option to create resizable, freeform windows when enabled. While we’ve had usable semi-equivalents like Samsung DeX and Motorola Ready For before, having Google implement them in Android natively could make using your smartphone as a laptop more practical.
What’s more, you can switch to a permanent tablet-like taskbar instead of the regular set of on-screen buttons or the gesture bar at the bottom of the home screen in the beta version. We’ve seen this on a phone already in the form of the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s taskbar, and it makes a lot of sense on a device with a larger screen. It’s probably best to stick with traditional navigation, since it’s currently too small when sized to work on a regular smartphone pad.
Other small improvements within the beta are a partial screen recording mode that lets you record just one app instead of the entire contents of your screen by selecting a new option in the Screen Recorder dialog, a Google Keep popup that lets you make a drawing without exiting your current app , an improved (although not better specified) Google One VPN option, a picture-in-picture/split-screen mode for Android TV, and a less distracting “stereoscopic mode” for Android Auto.
As the name suggests, quarterly Android updates come out every three months or so. With QPR1 going live last month, we should see QPR2 and the new features described above appear in February or so. It’s also possible that some of this won’t show up until Android 14 later next year.
If you’re already planning to get a Pixel 7 or one of the other best Android phones for yourself or someone else for Christmas, you’ll soon have even more features to play with within just a couple of months of opening the box.
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