Google releases Android 13 Beta 2 update: Here’s what’s new
A few weeks ago, Google released the first public beta version of Android 13, and it was available for Pixel devices. Last week, during Google I/O 2022, the company released the second beta version of Android 13, and it brings lots of bug fixes and some new features. However, not all these features could end up in Samsung’s One UI 5.0 update.
Android 13 Beta 2 features
This new version of Android brings some tweaks to the Battery widget. The widget is now resizeable and shows the battery charge levels of the phone as well as connected accessories. Instead of being listed under the Settings Services section, it is now listed under the Battery section. The Power Saving Mode now defaults to 10%, but you can change it.
Google is also making UI navigation more reliable and predictable. In Android 12, a variety of things could happen when you activate the back gesture: going back one level in an app, closing an app, going to the previous web page in the web browser, or closing the keyboard. This behavior might be natural for you to understand, but some users might get confused. With Android 13, when the back gesture is used, the device shrinks the current app and reveals the wallpaper, giving you enough time to stop that gesture if that’s not your intent.
The new version of Android 13 also has the option to always show the vibrate mode icon in the status bar. It also brings a more prominent Reset button in the Display Size and Text section of the Settings app. The Screensaver feature also gets more prominent placement in the Display settings section. The new OS also gives users an option to pause app activity if it has not been opened for a long time.
Google has also introduced a bunch of subtle but welcome changes to UI navigation animations. When unlocking the device, the home screen shows up from the middle of the screen rather than the bottom. The media playback widget in the notifications section gets a more sophisticated design and more options.
Pixel phones have received the local search feature in the Pixel Launcher app. That feature was present in earlier versions of Android, but it was removed in the previous update. Google has also fixed the bug where per-app language settings weren’t working. Android 13 also brings support for Bluetooth LE Audio with the new LC3 codec.
Android 13 also features a new photo picker in third-party apps, per-app language settings, better third-party quick setting tiles, and better graphics performance in games.
When will the Android 13 stable update be released?
Google will likely release the final stable version of Android 13 sometime in August or September 2022. We can expect Samsung to start testing Android 13-based One UI 5.0 beta updates in July 2022 and release the final version in Q4 2022.
Join SamMobile’s Telegram group and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get instant news updates and in-depth reviews of Samsung devices. You can also subscribe to get updates from us on Google News and follow us on Twitter.
