There’s actually a good reason
We all have dozens upon dozens of apps installed on our phones, but how much do you think about all the effort that goes into making sure that they work (most of them, anyway) as well as they do? Developers have to test their software across all sorts of conditions, trying to anticipate what a user might run into. That includes dealing with limited internet connectivity, as an app needs to behave properly whether the connection is fast or slow. So far Android developers haven’t had a great way to test that sort of thing, but Android 13 looks like it’s working to fix it.
Esper’s Mishaal Rahman reports that Google has added new code to Android’s network connectivity APIs for limiting bandwidth in Android 13 Developer Preview 2. The software will allow developers to limit speeds on any network (either Wi-Fi or cellular) they want to evaluate, and should support per-network settings, letting devs fine-tune their testing environment.
We’ve talked about some Android 13 features that won’t work on all devices running the OS(like flashlight brightness adjustment), and this appears to be another. The new bandwidth rate-limiting API will only function on devices with a compatible kernel — one that’s built with certain config options, including CONFIG_NET_SCHED and CONFIG_NET_SCH_INGRESS. The good news is that you won’t have to worry about all that, so long as your favorite app’s developer has a compatible device.
None of this is functional yet in our current preview release, but the report confirms that Google is implementing a setting in developer options that should become available in the first full beta of Android 13, due sometime next month. Until then, developers will have to simulate slow network connectivity through other means. While we await the betas, you can get caught up with all the other changes arriving with DP2, or follow our installation guide to try out Android 13 on your own Pixel.
Read Next
About The Author
