It doesn’t feel all that long ago thatGooglerolled outAndroid 12, but now the company is now rolling out Android 13, after months of beta-testing the software with developers and public beta users.
What is Android 13?
Android 13 is a major mobile operating system update - that’s now gradually rolling out to a number of different phones from most Android smartphone manufacturers. Google first showed a brief look at the software during its opening keynote atGoogle I/O 2022in May.
The first early Android 13 release - the developer preview - arrived in February 2022 for developers to test. It was followed by the public beta in April, which allowed anyone to install Android 13 on compatible mobile devices. In August 2022, the official release for Pixel phones arrived, and in the months following we started seeing the software roll out to phones from the likes of Asus, HMD, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Samsung.
What’s new in Android 13?
The TL;DR version
Dave Burke, vice president of engineering for Android at Google, detailed a long list of changes included in Android 13 on theAndroid Developer blog.The new features include more theming options and privacy features, new language preferences, and several under-the-hood upgrades. We’ll dive deeper into some of the more meaningful changes below, but here is theTL;DRversion:
The key features explained
Theming options
Android 13 is bringing dynamic app icons to all apps, not just Google’s. The themed icons feature lets app icons have a colour tint that matches your wallpaper - but app developers need to offer a compatible app icon. This feature is coming first to Pixel devices, but Google said it’s working with other manufacturers to release it more broadly.
Privacy features
Android 13 has new ways it’ll handle permissions and security. A new photo picker will let you share photos and videos with an individual app without giving the app permission to see all the photos on your device. Google plans to bring this feature to all phones running Android 11 and up.
New media controls
One of the few visual changes made so far is the new media control, which shows an animated wave during music playback, and also fills the control widget with the album artwork.
Under-the-hood upgrades
There are a lot of changes in Android 13, so far, that are not easily detectable. For example, a new Wi-Fi permission will allow apps to find and connect to Wi-Fi points without requiring location permissions. Google also said it’s continuing to develop Project Mainline, its effort to deliver more updates via Google Play rather than at the OS level.
Language preferences
Android 13 language preferences will now include the option to work on a per-app basis. This is useful for multilingual users.
Permission to send notifications
When Google released the second Android 13 developer preview, it included a major new feature: Apps will have to ask your permission to post notifications. Keep in mind iOS has offered a similar feature for years. It ensures only certain apps send you notifications. According toGoogle’s blog post, asking for permission will be a requirement for Android 13 apps. “Apps targeting Android 13 will now need to request the notification permission from the user before posting notifications,” said Dave Burke.
Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio support
Another big feature uncovered in the second preview is Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio support. The new standard uses an audio codec - called the Low Complexity Communications Codec (LC3) - that can transmit at lower bitrates in higher quality. This should equal less energy consumption and a better battery life.
How to get Android 13
Android 13 was made available for Google Pixel users from 17 August 2025; that included the Pixel 4, Pixel 5, and Pixel 6 devices. You should have it by now if you’re a Pixel user, and if you use a flagship phone from a one of a number of popular Android phone manufacturers.
If you were in the Android 13 beta, you will get the final Android 13 release and can remain enrolled to receive beta updates for upcoming Feature Drops.
Which devices support Android 13?
Android 13 has been rolled out, or is in the process of rolling out to the following phones:
When is Android 13 coming to your phone?
Android 13 has been available as a public beta for anyone with an eligible device to test. Now, the next major software update to Google’s Android mobile operating system is officially rolling out, starting with Google’s own Pixel phones. But the official release ofAndroid 13for devices from other manufacturers won’t happen until later this year. If you’re confused about this, no worries. Pocket-lint has made it easy for you to understand.
Check our guide herefor your specific phone brand. If it is listed there, you can run some form of Android 13 - whether it’s a beta or the new official release.
