About Android 13

Android 13 features and changes list The following table lists all documented features and behavior changes that might affect app developers. Use this list to find changes that affect you, and then click on the corresponding link to read the documentation. CategoryTypeNameCameraNew features and APIsHDR video capture Apps can use Camera2 APIs to capture and preview HDR video content.Core functionalityChange (all apps)Legacy copy of speech service implementation removed Apps should use the device's default provider for SpeechService, rather than hard-coding a specific app.Core functionalityNew features and APIsOpenJDK 11 updates Android 13 includes a number of updates to align with the OpenJDK 11 LTS release.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsThemed app icons Apps can provide monochromatic app icons that can be styled on a user's device using Material You dynamic color.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsPer-app language preferences Apps can use new platform APIs to set or get a user's preferred, per-app language.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsFaster hyphenation Android 13 drastically improves hyphenation performance for TextView instances.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsText Conversion APIs In Android 13, apps can call the new text conversion API so users who speak languages with phonetic lettering input methods can find what they're looking for faster and easier.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsImproved line heights for non-latin scripts Android 13 improves the display of non-Latin scripts (such as Tamil, Burmese, Telugu, and Tibetan) by using a line height that’s adapted for each language.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsImproved Japanese text wrapping TextViews can now wrap text by Bunsetsu (the smallest unit of words that sounds natural) or phrases—instead of by character—for more polished and readable Japanese applications.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsUnicode library updates Android 13 adds the latest improvements, fixes, and changes that are included in Unicode ICU 70, Unicode CLDR 40, and Unicode 14.0.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsColor vector fonts Android 13 adds rendering support for COLR version 1 fonts and updates the system emoji to the COLRv1 format.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsQuick Settings placement API Apps that provide custom tiles can make those tiles available in Quick Settings.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsClipboard preview Starting in Android 13, apps utilize a standard visual confirmation whenever content is added to the clipboard.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsPredictive back gesture Android 13 introduces a predictive back gesture for Android devices such as phones, large screens, and foldables.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsBluetooth LE Audio Android 13 adds built-in support for LE Audio, so developers should get the new capabilities for free on compatible devices.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsMIDI 2.0 Android 13 adds support for the new MIDI 2.0 standard, including the ability to connect MIDI 2.0 hardware through USB.Developer productivity and toolsNew features and APIsART optimizations Android 13 improves performance and efficiency for all apps through updates to the ART runtime.Google Play servicesChange (apps targeting 13+)Permission required for advertising ID Apps that use Google Play services advertising ID and target Android 13 (API level 33) and higher must declare the AD_ID normal permission in their app's manifest file.GraphicsNew features and APIsProgrammable shaders Apps can use programmable RuntimeShader objects to create advanced effects.GraphicsNew features and APIsChoreographer improvements Additional methods in the Choreographer and ASurfaceControl APIs provide apps with more information about the possible frame timelines and add more context to SurfaceFlinger about the frame lifecycle.MediaNew features and APIsAnticipatory audio routing Apps can use new APIs to identify how their audio is going to be routed.MediaNew features and APIsSpatial audio An immersive audio experience for more realistic-sounding content.Non-SDK interface restrictionsChange (apps targeting 13+)Updates to non-SDK interface restrictions Android 13 includes updated lists of restricted non-SDK interfaces based on collaboration with Android developers and the latest internal testing.Performance and batteryChange (all apps)Foreground Services (FGS) Task Manager Android 13 allows users to stop foreground services from the notification drawer, regardless of target SDK version.Performance and batteryChange (all apps)Improve prefetch job handling using JobScheduler In Android 13, the system now tries to determine the next time an app will be launched, and uses that estimation to run prefetch jobs.Performance and batteryChange (all apps)Battery Resource Utilization Android 13 introduces Battery Resource Utilization, which provides several ways to better manage device battery life.Privacy and securityChange (all apps)Runtime permission for notifications Android 13 introduces a new runtime notification permission: POST_NOTIFICATIONS.Privacy and securityChange (all apps)Hide sensitive content from clipboard Apps that allow users to copy sensitive content to the clipboard must add a flag to hide that content from clipboard content previews.Privacy and securityChange (all apps)Migrate away from shared user ID Apps that use the deprecated android:sharedUserId attribute and no longer depend on the attribute's functionality should migrate to other mechanisms.Privacy and securityChange (apps targeting 13+)New runtime permission for nearby Wi-Fi devices When using certain Wi-FI APIs, apps that don't require access to a device's physical location should strongly assert this using a new permission.Privacy and securityChange (apps targeting 13+)Use of body sensors in the background requires new permission If your app targets Android 13 and requires access to body sensor information while running in the background, you must declare the new BODY_SENSORS_BACKGROUND permission.Privacy and securityChange (all apps)Intent filters block non-matching intents Apps no longer receive intents for their exported components from external apps unless they match their declared <intent-filter> elements.Privacy and securityChange (apps targeting 13+)Granular media permissions Apps must now use separate permissions to request access to different types of media, instead of the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission.Privacy and securityNew features and APIsSafer exporting of context-registered receivers To help make runtime receivers safer, Android 13 allows you to specify whether a particular broadcast receiver in your app should be exported and visible to other apps on the device.Privacy and securityNew features and APIsPhoto picker Apps should use a new photo picker to provide a safe, built-in way for users to select media files without granting access to their entire media library.Privacy and securityNew features and APIsNew runtime permission for nearby Wi-Fi devices Apps can request a new permission to discover nearby Wi-Fi devices without accessing the device's location.Privacy and securityNew features and APIsNew permission to use exact alarms When targeting Android 13, apps such as calendars and alarms can use the new USE_EXACT_ALARM install-time permission to set exact alarms. Privacy and securityNew features and APIsDeveloper downgradable permissions Starting in Android 13, your app can revoke access to runtime permissions that it was previously granted, either by the system or by the user.Privacy and securityNew features and APIsAPK Signature Scheme v3.1 APK Signature Scheme v3.1 allows apps to support original and rotated signers in a single APK and also supports SDK version targeting.Privacy and securityNew features and APIsBetter error reporting in Keystore and KeyMint For apps that generate keys, Keystore and KeyMint now provide more detailed and accurate error indicators.Tablets and large screensNew features and APIsImproved support for tablets and large-screen devices Android 13 builds on the tablet optimizations introduced in Android 12 and the 12L feature drop—including optimizations for the system UI, better multitasking, and improved compatibility modes.User experienceChange (apps targeting 13+)Media controls derived from PlaybackState The system now derives media controls from PlaybackState actions instead of MediaStyle notifications.User experienceChange (apps targeting 13+)App color theme applied automatically to WebView content For apps targeting Android 13 (API level 33) or higher, the setForceDark() method is deprecated. Instead, WebView now always sets the media query prefers-color-scheme according to the app's theme attribute, isLightTheme. What is the difference between Android 12 and 13? Instead of giving access to all the "Files and media" stored on the phone, Android 13 divides the media access permission into two. An app will need to request access to two different categories: "Photos & videos" and "Music & audio," making the new Android 13 more secure as compared to Android 12. Android 13 DeveloperGoogleOS familyAndroidGeneral availabilityAugust 15, 2022 What improvements are in Android 13? It comes jam-packed with new capabilities for your phone and tablet, like extending app color theming to even more apps, language settings that can be set on an app level, improved privacy controls and even the ability to copy text and media from one Android device and paste it to another with just a click. How do I install Android 13 on my phone? To start installing Android 13, launch the Settings application. You might have the app directly on your home screen, but if you don't, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access your app drawer and scroll through your apps until you find Settings. Next, scroll down and tap System > System Update.