Google just released last week a preview of the new Android 13. At this moment only developers can experience all the features of the new version. At first glance, this new version of the OS doesn’t seem to have any major updates, only a few minor changes. However, some developers managed to discover a very interesting feature.
It seems that the new Google Pixel 6 ran Windows 11. According to some developers, Windows 11 is “usable,” but the graphics chip hardware acceleration has no support. This means that the alternative system works. How this can be of use? i.e. you can connect a keyboard to your smartphone and play your favorite game.
Windows 11 is not the only OS the developer used on the Pixel 6, Linux distributions including Ubuntu and Arch Linux were run on the device too. Will this be available in the stable version of Android 13, we will only be able to find it by the beginning of September for developers and the release is expected in the fall of 2022.
The new OS is currently available for Pixel series smartphones – Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4 XL, and Pixel 4.
Android 13 will have new themes and privacy features, new language management tools, and, many internal updates.
Android 12 introduced us to customizable themes with colors that adapt to the wallpaper. In Android 13, apps will be able to use their own icons to match the theme and not just Google’s branded apps.
New security features will let us share pictures and videos without the necessity to require the app to have permission to view all the photos on the device.
Apps will also be able to discover and connect to Wi-Fi hotspots without requesting location permissions.
Another interesting new feature is that language settings can now be managed for each application individually. This is especially convenient for multilingual users.
Google plans to release Android 13 developer previews from February to March, with beta testing starting in April.
