When Android 13 officially arrives this summer, we’re bound to see a bunch of headaches.
This will not be due to heat-induced brain fog and / or dry scalp – not completely, however. Instead, this new crop of confusion stems from the fact that after months of creating and anticipating, Google’s latest and greatest Android version may not look like much for most Android-owned creatures.
Sounds weird, I know, but it’s true: anyone carrying a phone that was already running last year’s Android 12 software, Android 13 is taking on the shape of an incredibly subtle, almost-new-noticeable change – at least on a surface layer.
Needless to say, Android 13 is not significant. Far from it, in reality: this year’s Android update may be one of Google’s most important, platform-changing releases and a rare arrival that literally changes the direction of the platform from a big-picture perspective.
But somewhat ironic, it is even more apparent that the effects of that effect will almost completely disappear from most of us mere phone-toting mortals. And as a result, when Android 13 actually appears on your sweaty person-claws, your first reaction will probably be something along this line: “Wait – this is It is?! “
It’s a story of two operating systems and a kind of dual identity that we’ve never experienced in Android. But if you take a few minutes to figure out what’s going on now, you’ll be much more prepared for what’s coming – and you’re less likely to scratch your suspiciously soft nugget in confusion.
Android 13 Identity No. 1: Significant Aspects
First things first, in a slightly more important context: This year’s Android release cycle was unusual even before Android 13 came into the picture.
In October of last year, just weeks after the arrival of Android 12, Google announced the development of a new “feature drop” update called Android 12L.
The update, which ended and began rolling out to a handful of devices this past March, was originally a 0.1-style update – so Android 12.1 or even Android 13.-01, if you want to get more accurate (and maybe) just a Tiny bit sassy).
Unlike Android 13, Android 12L doesn’t look like much to anyone with an average Android phone. The update combines the experience of a handful of Tinsy tweaks and Google Pixel devices – the primary products that got it – but we’re talking about the finer things that the average person will never notice or pay attention to.
Again, though, the Android 12L was significant – at most. It was originally a foundation-building premise that laid the foundation for what Android 13 was going to do. And it’s a completely new way of looking at how Android looks and works in a big-screen environment.
For tablets and foldable phones, Android 13 and its 12L-enabled framework will be live Converter. The software will introduce an interface that is actually optimized for large-screen use, a host of multitasking tools like different components on different parts of the display and new desktops – including a Nifty Chrome-OS-inspired taskbar that lets you access the things you like. Drag them from anywhere to create apps and even an on-the-fly split-screen setup.
GoogleBeyond that – and more significantly – Android 13 will effectively create a whole new one Department Google’s Flavored Devices. The software has a series of features that will allow tablets to be considered as a shared device when docking, with access to a specific set of “community apps” in that context, and then allowing multiple users to select and sign in tablets. In their own personal profiles.
The signs indicate that Google’s own upcoming Pixel tablet could tap into those possibilities and act as a new kind of hybrid mashup – a cross between a smart-up smart display and a traditional tablet that is unlike anything else today.
And that’s all because of the ideas that Android 13 and it’s operating systems are introducing.
But then there are Others The side of Android 13 – the side that almost anyone with a non-folded phone can see.
And well …
Android 13 Identity No. 2: The subtle aspects
I’ve been using the latest Android 13 beta on my extra Pixel 4a phone for several weeks now, and let me tell you: the software looks, feels and works almost like Android 12.
It is so true that I would be shocked if any regular, non-tech-obsessed and detailed-looking phone owner noticed any real difference after receiving the update.
Now, it’s always possible that Google could add some extra front-facing elements to Android 13 now and at the time of final release. I Basically Considering how subtle the changes to the software were on the front of the phone, I assumed it was inevitable.
But usually, a beta release version Google shows at its I / O conference is the same as the one sent later that year. And moreover, it seems that the biggest impact of Android 13 is on the things that will bring it to the big-screen of the Android ecosystem.
To be clear: in front of the phone, will absolutely improve. For example, Android 13 lets you drag a notification to the main area of your screen to open the app related to split-screen mode – a clean new touch that makes Android’s multi-window system feel much more native and prominent. Part of the operating system.
But let’s be honest: most people will never notice it or be aware of its existence. The same goes for all the improvements to Android 13’s under-the-hood – without a doubt the important privacy and security enhancements that will make Android more effective in keeping your data safe and your device secure.
These kinds of things are present in virtually every Android update and this is a huge part of why Android updates are absolutely important even if you Is not Excited about what’s on the surface.
Nevertheless, it is impossible to deny that the surface-level elements that most common mammals see and associate with a new software. And with Android 13, we’ve got two completely different images: one that will bring dramatic, night-and-day change to the front of the tablet and open the door to a whole new kind of Android device experience, and one that will land with a small thump next to the phone. Feeling we have ‘Run out of gas’ emotionally.
I’m not sure we’ve ever seen a single software update take on such a drastic identity at the same time. This is a bold move by Google and one that could lead to more deviant paths in Android in the future.
For now, one thing is for sure: the arrival of Android 13 this summer will usher in a new era for our ever-evolving platform – it could be To feel Completely unimportant for most of us at the moment.
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