Android 13 finally arrived this week, somehow both earlier and later than expected. For such a small upgrade compared to last year’s massive Material You overhaul, it’s easy to feel disappointed. As the update makes its way out to more users — both on Pixel phones and once companies like Samsung launch their own updates in the coming weeks — we’re bound to see plenty of first impressions shared online. If you just can’t wait, I think this weekend is the perfect time to throw out some Android 13 hot takes.
On the one hand, Android 12 felt, at times, unfinished, and Google’s decision to focus on some much-needed improvements for the features it introduced a year ago is probably the right one. Material You is closer than ever to the auto-theming engine we all expected it to be, though third-party icon support remains an issue. Google has combined its search bars on Pixels to lead to the same UI — an obvious fix, though one that isn’t working properly in this week’s initial stable release. And that’s on top of plenty of privacy tools that should make Android more secure than ever.
The handful of visible new features here are great, too. I’m obsessed with the new media player; its squiggly line dances across my lock screen or notification tray whenever I’m listening to something on my phone. Opt-in notifications have been a long time coming, and I’m happy to finally see them here. And although I won’t make much use of Google’s new per-app language settings — apologies to my many French teachers — it’s a great tool for anyone who speaks more than one language.
That said, it’s easy to feel underwhelmed with Android 13. As I said on this week’s podcast, I think Google has done a great job migrating the features that matter most to channels outside an annual launch. By relying on app and service updates, the company ensures more Android users than ever before are getting the tools they need without having to wait for the Samsungs and OnePluses of the world to roll out new software. It comes at the cost of Android 13 feeling a little less special, though — after all, when we’re a full year into a radical new redesign for the OS, all Google can really do is roll out the sorts of privacy and security changes we’ve seen this year.
So, with that, I open the floor to our readers. In addition to a poll this week, I’d like to know how everyone’s feeling about Android 13 — and, maybe a little more broadly, Android as an operating system. Are you pleased with the changes Google made this year, no matter how minor they may seem on the outside looking in? Are you concerned about the potential stagnation of the platform, especially as it’s reached maturity over the last few years? Maybe you never warmed up to Material You, and the additional color choices in Android 13 haven’t swayed your opinion. There aren’t any wrong answers this week — in fact, there aren’t any preset answers at all. Just let us know if you have the update yet, then sound off below.
Our Android 13 review has already seen a flood of comments, remarks, and opinions, but with the floor completely open, I’m excited to see what our readership base thinks. Even if you’re waiting for an OEM to roll out a software update to your device, feel free to chime in with early impressions from the last eight months of leaks, developer previews, and betas. And if you’re rocking a Pixel phone with Google’s newest software, even better. The comments are open, AP readers — let’s see what you think.
