An early preview for this year’s big update
Just in time to meet Google’s schedule, Android 13 Beta 1 finally landed on Pixel phones this week. It’s chock full of enhancements and upgrades to the excellent foundation laid by Google with Android 12 last year, and while that might not make it as exciting as a full-blown redesign, it’s still a great chance to preview the future of your smartphone.
Material You is getting even better with sixteen different color palettes to pick from — up from just four in last year’s release. It makes you feel a little more in control of dynamic theming, and when paired with support for third-party icons, it’s clear Google is tackling most of our complaints about Material You. Android also sports an all-new media player on your lock screen and in the notification tray, complete with a squiggly playback line that really embraces a new sense of fun. Hopefully, it’ll stick around for the full release.
A couple of new utilities also promise to make using your phone in the real world much more useful. Android will let you access your smart home gadgets without having to unlock your phone — something you could do back on Android 11. Meanwhile, a built-in QR code scanner available from Quick Settings saves you from having to open the camera. It’s perfect for all of those virtual restaurant menus found at your table these days. We’ll learn much more about Android 13 at Google I/O in a couple of weeks, but right now, things are off to a great start.
Android 13 has been available in developer previews since February, but this update marks the first time it’s easy to install. Just enroll a compatible device in the beta program and you’ll receive an OTA update in just a few minutes. This year’s beta seems surprisingly stable, which means it might even be good enough for a daily driver. So, did you install this week’s beta, or are you waiting for a future update?
Did you install Android 13 Beta 1?
Yes, I’m running Android 13 Beta 1.
30%, 188 votes
I’m waiting for a future beta version before I update.
13%, 83 votes
I haven’t decided if I’ll install it or not yet.
8%, 51 votes
No, I’m not interested in being a beta tester.
28%, 176 votes
No, none of my devices are supported yet.
17%, 104 votes
No, for another reason I’ll mention in the comments.
2%, 10 votes
I tried and uninstalled it/rolled it back.
2%, 8 votes
Total Votes: 620
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