Google recently released the first beta of Android 13 QPR2 to compatible Pixel smartphones participating in the Advance Testing program. There are some small novelties and finishing touches – a background effect in the media player widget stands out in particular – and apparently even a step backwards, in the sense that a novelty distributed with the stable QPR1 has disappeared.
Before starting with the news, we remind you that the QPR (Quarterly Platform Release) are updates to the Android operating system itself: they’re a fairly recent type of patch – they debuted last year with Android 12. They’re quarterly, as the name suggests, so it’s pretty obvious that they can’t be more than four per version of the operating system; however, with Android 12 only three have arrived, and with Android 13 it seems that there will be only two, at least according to what Google itself said this summer. With that in mind, here’s what’s new:
- The app Health Connect is now pre-installed.
- The unified security and privacy menu, shipped with QPR1 just a few days ago on Pixel 7s, has disappeared. Of course that doesn’t mean it’s actually been deleted – another possibility is that Google is testing something else or that specific piece of code isn’t up to date yet.
- They were revised the side margins of the Pixel Launcher: they are thicker. As a result, app icons and widgets stay closer to each other. The same tweak has been made in the folders, but let’s say that in this specific case they seem less refined, and it is safe to assume that there will be further tweaks.
- The dedicated settings page is available Spatial audio.
The media player widget in Lock Screen and Quick Settings now implements a lava lamp style effect for the background.
Watch becomes larger as the quick toggle curtain is lowered.
COMPATIBLE DEVICES AND OTA/FACTORY IMAGE
Notifications should arrive shortly for Beta subscribers, if they haven’t already; if you want to proceed manually, you can download the OTA and Factory Image of the build, code T2B1.221118.006, using the quick links below:
- Pixel 7 Pro: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 7: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 6a: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 6 Pro: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 6: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 5a: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 5: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 4a 5G: Factory Image | OTA
- Pixel 4a: Factory Image | OTA
- Google Pixel 7 is available online from eBay at 588 euros.
- Google Pixel 7 Pro is available online from eBay at 825 euros.
- Google Pixel 6a is available online from eBay at 326 euros.
(updated December 13, 2022, 09:00)
