Access apps and more between profiles on trusted networks
Android 13 DP1 is out now, but as with most early builds of Google’s mobile OS, it’s primarily meant to lay the groundwork for what’s to come. It’s also coming right as Android 12L gets ready to launch, giving tablet users some much-needed improvements. A new feature in Android 13 looks to make it easier for users to share content between profiles, though we’ll have to wait longer to get the full picture.
Spotted by Mishaal Rahman at Esper.io, “hub mode” is an in-development tool currently hidden in Android 13. It’s internally known as “communal mode’,’ and seems intended to allow apps to be shared on devices like tablets. A list of installed software on your device would let you pick and choose which are accessible by all users. Although it initially seemed like this “common surface” was meant to be the lock screen, that might not be the case. Instead, this feature might be meant for docked tablets, something you’d see on the kitchen counter or in the corner coffee table.
Despite not appearing in Android 13 just yet, Rahman activated some of the flags necessary to enable hub mode. It’s not quite there just yet, but through this process, he was able to load up options for “trusted networks,” showing a shared list of Wi-Fi access points the device must be connected to for these apps to work.
There are plenty of questions left about what hub mode is intended for — including whether or not it’ll ever actually be user-facing or if it’s intended primarily for OEMs to configure on their end. Still, it’s yet another sign that Google is getting serious about tablets and other big-screen devices, especially when it comes to multiple users. We’ll just have to wait and see what else comes from Android 13 in future releases.
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