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With the Android 12 rollout underway, all sights are pointed towards the next version of Google’s mobile operating system. Will it be known as Android 13? Are the desserts coming back? What changes with the new system? And when can we expect it to launch? Check the answers (so far) for these questions and much more in this article.
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Android 13: When to expect the new Google OS?
Android releases follow a very predictable schedule by this point, with specific phases laid out to help app developers and device manufacturers to prepare for the new release, which usually happens around the third quarter of the year.
The first official announcement happens with the release of a first Developer Preview (DP), that showcases features that are still in development for the system. The next milestone typically happens during Google I/O – the company’s event for developers, traditionally held in May -, when the first beta version is often announced.
After around three to five Beta releases, Google declares that the version “includes a release candidate build of Android”, which means the feature set is final, and at least for app developers, all the app interfaces (APIs) are ready for testing applications and games.
After some bug fixing – mostly related to stability issues for Pixel phones – Google releases the stable version, coinciding with the announcement of a new Pixel generation, which happened between August and October since Android 6 (Marshmallow, back in the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P era).
Android recent schedule
| Version | Announcement / Preview | Beta | Release Candidate | Stable release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android 12 (2021) | February (DP1) | May | September (Beta 5) | October |
| Android 11 (2020) | February (DP1) | June | August (Beta 3) | September |
| Android 10 (2019) | March (Beta 1) | August (Beta 6) | September | |
| Android 9 Pie (2018) | March (DP) | May | July (Beta 4) | August |
Android 13: How will it be called? Dessert? Superstitions?
Even though Google dropped using the Android codename in the official marketing campaign after Android 10, the tradition still lives among the OS developers and engineers.
For 2022’s Android, early changes (commits) sent to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) repository made it clear that the new version is known internally as Tiramisu.
Rename T to Tiramisu
PLATFORM_VERSION_CODENAME is being updated from T to Tiramisu.
Even so, the name is not really expected to be used in any consumer-facing materials, similar to what happened with Android 11 (Red Velvet Cake) and 12 (Snow Cone).
Some NextPit editors are also wondering whether Google may skip the “13” due to superstition. Whatever the case may be – as you may have already noticed -, this article will call the OS’s next version simply “Android 13”.
Android 13: New features
Per-app languages
Currently, Android apps can include different translations in the APK/AAB, but changing languages are usually a system-wide option, applying for all the apps. Android 13 will change that, by allowing users to select a language specifically for each app.
The new feature was spotted by XDA Developers, as both a new option in the Languages & input menu and the App info settings:
NextPit editors / © XDA Developers
More controls over app notifications
To fight notification spam, users already have some control over how and when apps can send alerts on their Android phone. The next OS version is getting ready to offer a better solution, according to the same XDA leak.
Although not working in the leaked version the site had access to, there was a new system permission for notifications, treating the feature like the current camera and microphone access.
Transfer by tapping
This new feature looks promising, and it basically brings back something that was deprecated by Android 10: Android Beam. Android Police revealed that the OS new version will offer the option to initiate a file transfer between devices using NFC, just like the retired feature.
Although Nearby Share offers a similar solution to the same task, Tap-to-Transfer uses the ever more popular NFC antennas (or potentially UWB), to transfer photos, videos, and other documents between phones.
The Android Resource Economy
Known as TARE, this new feature adds a credits’ system that will set limits on how apps can consume the phone’s resources – CPU, GPU, battery, etc. The system is still in early development but looks like it can help improve Android’s battery usage.
Other features potentially coming with Android 13
Besides those, leaked Android 13 builds hint about a few other smaller changes:
- A dedicated Show QR Scanner option that can be accessed on the Lock screen.
- Improved UWB support, with more features available for device makers.
- Support for Bluetooth LE Audio, and the Low Complexity Communications Codec (LC3).
- Audio output selector for Material You, offering the option to choose between speakers, phones, and setting the volume.
Android 13: Visual changes
More colors for Material You
After the attention drawn to Material You, Android 12 new design language, Google is ready to the visual concept even further with Android 13. According to a leak from Android Police, the new system will offer even more customization options, with a wider selection of colors.
Change lock screen clock layouts
If you saw enough Pixel 6 pictures with the lock screen, you may have noticed that basically all of them had the same plain layout, with the time centered on the screen with a 2×2 layout (hours on top, minutes below).
A leaked version revealed by XDA Developers showed that Android 13 will offer a new Lock Screen option to disable the Double-line clock, placing a smaller clock in the top left corner of the screen.
Android 13: Expected devices
As it usually happens with each new Android release, Google’s Pixel line will be the first to get the new version. Android’s releases are usually timed with a new Pixel generation line, so a Pixel 7 smartphone will be the first phone to be released with the system.
The update is expected to be available on the same day for other Google smartphones, from the Pixel 4 and newer.
The update availability for other brands and models will wildly vary, so we recommend checking our guide on each manufacturer update policy:
This article will be constantly updated leading up to the Android 13 stable release. Make sure to follow NextPit on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram to be alerted on new features, development releases and device support!
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