Five Things Android Users Are Expecting From The New 2022 Android 13 Update
Although it appears that Android 12 has only recently arrived, Android 13 is likely to debut in developer preview form over the next few weeks.
The initial preview builds of new Android releases have traditionally been released around February or March.
So, even if Android 12L is still in development, it’s time to start thinking about Android 13 – the OS that will power the best Android phones in 2023.
If code sleuths are to be believed, the late-2022 update of Android could arrive as early as August.
And, given that Google recently revamped its design language with Material You, it’s unlikely that Android 13 will have many dramatic visual changes.
But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a slew of new features.
On the contrary, with fewer resources devoted to Android’s user interface, Android 13 might be a feature-rich update.
Early rumors point to capabilities like per-app language settings that would be really beneficial.
As Android 13 near its release, we’ll undoubtedly learn more, but in the meanwhile, we’ve compiled a list of our top five expectations for the next version of the operating system.
So, as Android celebrates its 14th birthday, here’s what we’re hoping to see from the platform.
1. Better multitasking and floating windows
For more than five years, Android phone and tablet manufacturers such as Samsung have offered floating window compatibility in some form.
As a result, it’s past time for standard Android multitasking to progress and allow consumers more freedom over how they utilize their apps.
Building on the work already done for Android 12L, a floating window feature would make a lot of sense for tablets and foldable.
Google should take extensively from some of the best OEM skins, as it has in the past.
For more than a year, Oppo’s ColorOS has enabled freeform floating windows, with the current ColorOS 12 upgrade making this feature function comfortably and intuitively on average-sized handsets like the Find X2 and X3 series.
Google should aim to make switching between app pairings faster and easier as split-screen multitasking becomes increasingly common on foldable phones.
A mechanism to pin specific combinations of apps to the taskbar (or a similar shortcut bar), like Samsung has done for years, would be really useful.
2. A more customized Material You
Material You in Android 12 was a nice start, but Google could go even further to make your most personal computing device even more personal.
One example would be system-wide support for icon packs, which have been supported by a slew of other manufacturers but not by Google in the default OS.
Automatic icon theme, which is still in beta more than four months after the stable release of Android 12, has space for improvement as well.
More icons should be supported, as well as an API that allows app developers to easily incorporate their branding into a Material You-themed icon.
It would also be nice to have more granular control over the Material color palette.
Right now, Android 12 on Pixel phones offers only a few dozen palettes, many of which are extremely muted.
Choosing complimentary colors isn’t as simple as picking them at random from a color pallet.
Nonetheless, we believe that Google will provide a lot more color options in Android 13, and early leaks hint that Google is working on this.
3. The Best Google Discover Settings
The Google Discover stream, which appears on most Android phones’ leftmost home screen panel, is shockingly underutilized.
This space, which began almost a decade ago as Google Now, used to display timely information cards based on your location, time of day, calendar, and other characteristics.
However, that data has been separated into other areas, such as the Snapshot screen in Google Assistant and the “‘At A Glance” widget on Pixel phones.
The recent disclosure of an abandoned smart lock screen prototype by Android Authority is an example of how this premium smartphone real estate could be better utilized.
CONTINUE >>> Five Things Android Users Are Expecting From The New 2022 Android 13 Update
These screens would’ve been populated with things like smart home controls when at home, or transit and loyalty card details when out and about, as an extension of “At A Glance.”
There’s no reason why this couldn’t be integrated with content discovery and the best parts of Snapshot to bring truly useful Discover feedback to future Android 13 devices.
4. There are even more delectable delights!
Although internal codenames like “Queen Cake” (Android 10), “Red Velvet Cake” (Android 11), and “Snow Cone” (Android 12) eventually leaked online, Google made a hard pivot away from Android’s “sweet treat” nicknames with Android 10.
(In case you were wondering, Android 13 is reportedly named “Tiramisu.”)
The sweet treat names added a level of enjoyment to Android releases that the dry numbered releases from Android 10 couldn’t quite equal.
The dessert names and their associated Bugdroid mascots have come to personify new platform versions for the average enthusiast who doesn’t follow the technical minutiae of every new build.
For recent Android releases, Google had several good reasons for switching to a numbered release schedule, not least to avoid confusion in non-English speaking regions.
(On top of that, it’d have to compete with it.)
(Plus, in only a few years, it’ll be competing with Android V, W, X, Y, and Z.)
However, we can’t help but hope that the debut of Android 13 will be followed by a statue of a robot holding the aforementioned spongy Italian delicacy.
5. Improved launch stability
In comparison to other Android versions, Android 12 had a rocky public beta and a delayed public release than we anticipated.
And it was particularly buggy on Google’s Pixel phones until the most recent January software update. It’s possible that this was due to the sheer number of changes in Android 12 — the most significant Android update in years — or the impact of Covid-19 on the development cycle, or even teething issues with Google’s custom Tensor processor.
Whatever the case, we’re hoping for a more stable first-day rollout of Android 13 when it arrives.
The jerkiness of early Android 12 builds had an impact on the ecosystem as a whole.
Samsung’s One UI 4 inherited a Pixel bug that caused background media playback on apps like YouTube to be messed up.
And OnePlus had to pull its update due to show-stopping bugs, despite the fact that the company is dealing with its own software issues as it tries to integrate its OxygenOS platform into parent company Oppo’s ColorOS system.
At the very least, Google will not be entirely revamping Android’s system UI this time, thus we expect Android 13 to be a much more stable release.
Android 13 is on the way!
Before we know it, Android 13 will be here.
In previous years, early developer previews of new Android versions have been released in February or March, followed by a more stable public beta build in May or June, and a final release in the early fall.
It’s going to be a busy year for Android debuts, what with this and the tablet and foldable-focused Android 12L expected in late spring.
