We’ve previously gone in-depth on every essential feature and function in Android 13 that you should be aware of, but because not all updates are made equal, here are some of the greatest ones.
Android 13 is more understated than the massive Android 12 update from the previous year. The modifications are intended to improve Material You and all of the updated and redesigned features of the top mobile operating system available. This year, over 50 new user-facing adjustments and features were added, but we’ve narrowed it down to 15 of our favorites. The best features of Android 13 are as follows:
FINE-TUNING THE VIBRATION MODE Thanks to a newly improved Sounds and vibration section in Android 13, you can now modify practically all facets of the vibration menu. Control bars for calls, notifications, and interactive haptics have been added by Google.
On Pixel, you can now manually change the intensity of the vibration feedback for each notification type for the first time outside of Gboard. Like volume controls, the linear bar operates in a similar manner. A helpful new setting that allows your phone vibrate before a ringtone activates in the event that you do not answer a call immediately away joins this. However, your device must have sound turned on for this to work.
It is extremely helpful to have the additional option to turn off alarm vibrations from this menu. Additionally, there is a new toggle to activate the vibration of interactive media. At the moment, not many apps support the capability, however haptics are utilized in conjunction with speakers to provide media consumption additional impact.
Material You are still at the center of Android 13, and Google has increased the number of Basic colors available for device accenting to 16, consisting of nine intriguing dual-tone pastel hues and seven basic tones. If you want a little bit more control over Dynamic Color theming but would rather select fewer colors than the standard four presets, this is ideal.
The in-display fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 6 series has drawn a lot of criticism, and while it may just be a coincidence, Android 13 has improved the digit enrolment process. A more specific guidance animation appears while setting up or adding a new fingerprint to assist you in thoroughly enrolling your fingers. Although we’re yet unsure if this leads to more reliable scans, it is unquestionably superior than the abstract strategy employed in Android 12.
NEW PICTURE PICKER
A standout feature of Android 13 is the addition of a new photo picker, which safeguards your on-device data. Given that the new picker only allows apps access to the photographs that you permit, it unquestionably has a stronger aesthetic appeal than the more traditional but still useful pop-up panel. Although privacy benefits greatly from this, the visual quality is also greatly enhanced. The new picker slides in with a docked bottom pane when adding an image to an application. Because images are organized, they are also simpler to search and choose.
PRIVACY ANDAMP; SECURITY MENU COMBINED
A brand-new unified Security and privacy menu that was previewed at IO 2022 will be added by Google later this year. Instead of depending on numerous sub-menus and sections, this one-stop shop combines on-device and account settings into one simple to handle area.
Its color-coded safety status indications and warnings to delete apps deemed unsafe or potentially hazardous are among its most noticeable features. This could be useful for people who aren’t necessarily knowledgeable about data leaks or whose accounts have been stolen. enhancing the level of security on your mobile device.
NEW QS TILES Android 13 has two brand-new, incredibly practical Quick Settings tiles that let you access and activate the specific One-handed mode as well as add a much-needed QR code reader. The latter uses Google Lens and is compatible with all QR codes. It used to be necessary to open Google Lens before scanning, but now you can do it from anywhere on Android, saving you time and effort.
It will save many people a lot of time to be able to enable and disable One-handed mode without having to go the Settings menu. It means that from any location within your device system, you can turn off the reachability mode whenever you need to.
SHORTCUTS TO THE MORE ACCESSIBLE POWER AND SETTINGS NOTIFICATION PANEL
It is impossible to stress the importance of moving the Quick Settings panel’s Power and Settings shortcut access buttons to a more convenient bottom-left location. On a big screen, this is extremely helpful.
Android 13 has features that facilitate access. The Power menu and Settings shortcut access buttons have been relocated to the Quick Settings panel’s very bottom right. This has the advantage of freeing up space on the main notification panel and removing the need to reach up to access two crucial places.
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The media player on Android 13 has undergone a significant overhaul. Google is unable to continuously improve this aspect of Android, although the most recent updates are not only practical but also aesthetically pleasing.
The media player revamp would be the most likely option for the top feature added in Android 13 if we were to choose. The media player has undergone improvements made by Google that make it more helpful and consistent with the Material You symbology and theming.
Skip and back controls are now positioned on each side of a restored playback progress bar, and standard play/pause buttons are now positioned off to the right of the tiny player. Any playback progress has an intriguing squiggle effect from this.
The playback bar changes from a straight line to a wavy line as the playhead moves, making it even simpler to tell how much has been played or finished. Depending on what you’re watching or listening to, contextual app controls like shuffle and time skips will also show. Album art player theming has also reappeared in Android 13 in yet another nostalgic action. The album art will surround and theme the mini player in the colors selected from the cover, thumbnail, or video regardless of the content, including videos.
1 PER-APP LANGUAGE CONTROLS
The ability to change app languages on an individual basis without changing the system’s default location or language is another standout feature of Android 13. This is a good choice to have if you’re studying a language or speak several dialects. If an app supports additional locales or languages, you can switch to your preferred local text by going to Settings > Apps > Language. This may be customized for each individual app, so any other adjustments you make elsewhere won’t be impacted.
PAUSE APP ACTIVITY IF UNUSED FEATURE We believe that killing off or disabling malicious apps when they are using your energy or running in the background is one of the best features brought to Android 13. The number of apps that are now running in the background will be displayed in a new area of the fully expanded Quick Settings panel.
A little floating pane displaying the specific apps that are open will appear after tapping. Apps like Google Fit, Samsung Health, and others that depend on monitoring or device resources to work will frequently fall under this category. However, you might not be aware that some applications are running. If you want to stop them, you can do so by going to the Settings menu and selecting Force stop.
FLASHLIGHT TOGGLE OPTION IS INCLUDED IN QUICK TAP. Although the Quick Tap feature is only available on the Pixel 5 or newer, it is still a fantastic tool to have when trying to automate particular smartphone tasks. Even though it only only a single tap, Quick Tap now has the ability to instantly switch on your Pixel’s flashlight. We adore this because in addition to being practical, it also saves time by preventing the need to unlock your phone or access the QS tiles in order to activate the LED flash on the back of your phone.
BACK PREDICTIVE ANIMATIONS By going to Settings > System > Developer settings > Predictive back animations, you may enable Android 13’s new, essentially experimental predictive back animation. Simply said, if you hold the back motion from the right or left side of your screen, you’ll see a preview of the screen that will appear after you let go.
You’ll actually be able to see where you’re going. Even though using the back gesture is quite simple, doing this will make it more obvious which screen is intended to appear. Unfortunately, not many apps now support the feature, but it’s a nice option to enable for updates in the future.
SETTINGS SECTION HIGH BATTERY USAGE NOTIFICATION The Higher battery consumption notification when you view the Battery menu is still one of Android 13’s best features, even though it ought to be more obvious. This makes it easier for you to identify the applications that are draining your internal cells and potentially shorten their lifespan or make them less effective for daily use.
By tapping this question, you can see which programs are using the internal cell the most. Additionally, the pop-up panel warns that you might exhaust yourself sooner than the battery would ordinarily. You will need to access the more detailed battery settings in order to force stop these apps because there is no option to force stop or disable them from this pane.
ANIMATIONS THAT ARE BETTER AND SMOOTHER When combined with the other enhanced animations, the new fade-in unlock motion when opening or unlocking your Pixel is incredibly refreshing and makes Android 13 feel even more slick than Android 12. All of the apps on the Pixel Launcher homescreen fade and zoom into view in a new post-unlock animation.
Screens moving and fading into view more consistently improves the opening of the Settings section and any related sub-menus. The typical buttery smooth sensation that has come to be associated with Google’s clean version of Android has been enhanced through increased animation softening.
LANDSCAPE MODE COMPACT POP-UP CARD/WINDOWS
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Full-screen or bigger pop-ups that filled the width of your screen when launched were one of the most absurd additions in Android 12. With the stable version of Android 12, this was rectified for alerts and the Quick Settings panel, but it took until Android 13 for pop-ups to be fixed.
Cards and windows are more centrally aligned and smaller when enlarging the Quick Settings panel or receiving pop-up notifications while auto-rotate mode is activated. These options are considerably simpler to use and no longer occupy the entire screen width. The visual improvement is also much appreciated.
WHICH OF ANDROID 13’S FEATURES DO YOU FAVOR? Have you updated your device to Android 13 stable yet? If so, how are you finding it and what do you consider to be the best brand-new features in Android 13? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below.
