As we reported yesterday, on the occasion of the Google I / O 2022 the second Beta of Android 13 arrived: the main novelty is the extension of the program to devices external to the Pixel family, from manufacturers such as ASUS, OnePlus, Realme and Xiaomi. For the rest, the build is very similar to Beta 1, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t some small innovations and refinements; and as the hours go by, more and more undocumented novelties emerge. Below is the complete list, with the promise to update and integrate it as more details arrive.
ANDROID 13 BETA 2: COMPATIBLE DEVICES
- ASUS ZenFone 8 (ZS590KS). Instructions and downloads HERE.
- Google Pixel 4, 4 XL, 4a 4G, 4a 5G, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro
- Lenovo P12 Pro (tablet). Instructions and downloads HERE.
- Nokia X20 (details are HERE, but there is no list of supported models)
- OnePlus 10 Pro (we talked about it yesterday)
- OPPO Find X5 Pro. Instructions and download HERE. Also Find N but only in China.
- Realme GT 2 Pro. Instructions and download HERE.
- SHARP Aquos Sense6 SH-M19. Instructions and downloads HERE.
- Tecno Camon 19 Pro. Instructions and download HERE.
- Vivo X80 Pro. It arrives tomorrow. Instructions and downloads HERE.
- Xiaomi 12, 12 Pro and Pad 5 (tablet). Instructions and downloads HERE.
- ZTE Axon 40 Ultra. Instructions and downloads HERE.
25/05
- EROFS mandatory for native smartphones. This is a new file system developed by Huawei, and will need to be used for read-only partitions. Google’s idea is to compress these partitions in such a way that they take up less space – up to 800MB could be saved on a current smartphone. Typically reading (and especially writing, but in read-only partitions it doesn’t matter) of compressed data is slower, but the file system is optimized for precisely these circumstances, and therefore the impact on performance is negligible.
- New graphics for search results. Basically there will be a separator between the various results, and the whole list will be included in a kind of large “card” with very rounded edges in perfect Material You style.13/05
- Meanwhile, we know that Nokia X20 participates in the Beta program, so OPPO Find N (only in China, though). We have updated the list above.
- This morning we also found that the use of the camera in third-party apps (such as WhatsApp or Instagram) will improve significantly.
- The Emoji Kitchen has expanded, the AI-based feature that allows Gboard to “mix” two or more Emojis to create completely new ones. At this point the number of supported Emojis has exceeded 400; among the latest arrivals are the paw prints, the slice of watermelon, cherries and the stone. The heart-eyed watermelon and the pebble with sunglasses are … Remarkable, we have to admit.
- The Pixel Launcher will allow you to add search links to the Home. Just long-press on a search from the autocomplete list and drag it to your desktop as if it were an app or any other content.
12/05
- New “Predictive Back” gesture. When the user performs the gesture to go back, the smartphone shows the screen or the landing page of the action in preview, so as to have an additional visual confirmation. The preview will be shown before the gesture is completed, so the user can decide whether to confirm it or change his mind. Traces have been found in the system code that support it, but for now it has not been concretely spotted yet. There is however a mockup from Google itself:
Here’s a look at the back-to-home animation for the new predictive back gesture, from the “what’s new in Android” talk.https: //t.co/PbYFVa5U0Z
Works just as I described!
- Settings:
- The toggle for the vibrate mode icon returns. It had been removed with Android 12, and is making a comeback there too – it has been spotted in the latest Beta of the QPR3.
- New permission to turn on the screen. Apps will have to request this if they intend to turn on the display arbitrarily.
- New animation for switching between screens.
- Developer options:
- Added “Network download rate limit” which allows you to limit the download speed.
- “Allow mock modem” added
- Added “Disable Bluetooth LE AUDIO hardware offload”
- Removed “Enable Gabeldorsche”. Gabeldorsche is the next generation Bluetooth stack that Google has been working on for some time.
- Media Player:
- updated the screen that appears when you press and hold, the settings can be reached via the gear icon in the top right.
- updated the main app design. The play bar is shorter and occupies the same row as the main controls.
- new animation of the play bar when pressing the Next or Previous buttons.
A cool new animation plays when you press the previous or next button in a media player notification. The squiggly progress bar smoothly animates back to the start.
- Drums:
- Battery saving only from 10%. Previously the minimum percentage of autonomy remaining for automatic activation was 5%, now it has been raised to 10%.
- The new widget on the home screen now also shows the detailed battery level of the smartphone if there are no Bluetooth headsets or other battery-powered gadgets connected. The widget now also results in a more understandable and clearer category, simply called Battery.
- Automatic dark theme when you go to sleep.
- Dark theme also for the drawer icon in the taskbar (devices with large displays)
- More intuitive split screen. When you long-press an app icon in the taskbar, the overlay is shown with directions to activate the split screen.
- They come back there unified search and the individual language settings for each app, which had mysteriously disappeared with Beta 1.
- Bluetooth and audio: added settings for spatial audio and settings for broadcasting via Bluetooth LE
- New animations: “zoom in” effect when unlocking the device, icon highlighted in the status bar when an app accesses the camera.
