Google has officially pulled the lid off the third Android 13 beta. The version is available now as an over-the-air update to anyone already using Android 13 as their daily driver on a respective Pixel device. You can also jump in fresh here, using a Pixel enrollment form.
This version of the Android 13 beta has also reached Platform Stability, which means that the developer APIs and how apps perform on this next version of the operating system are final. From here until the software’s public release sometime in a few months, developers are to focus on app compatibility and overall quality.
It also means if you’ve been considering running the Android 13 beta on your smartphone, this is the best time to preview life with it. All you need to do is enroll your specific device in the beta (using the above form) to receive the update prompt on your phone. If you do, you’ll have access to things like the new Material You widgets and stylings, better-looking media playback in the notification shade, and Lock screen smart home controls.
Android 13 also introduces all-new runtime permission for notifications and a new API for the Clipboard that will hide sensitive information from other apps so that no one can snoop on your copying-and-pasting.
Tablets can beta, too
Tablet users are also encouraged to join in on this beta. Though the beta is only available through select partnering manufacturers, Android 13 will be the one to test Google’s latest trajectory of a one-size-fits-all version of the OS, and Google built it with Android 12L’s large-screen enhancements in mind.
It’ll be interesting to see how it fares on some of the better-rated Android tablets on the market — namely, the Lenovo P12 Pro, which was also one of the first to debut Android 12L. Android 13 introduces a Taskbar for tablets and removes fixed orientation to help with variances in tablet screen sizes. There’s also a multi-window mode coming to the next version of the OS.
If you want a quick glimpse into what to expect from the next version of Android, we’ve got it for you all right here, including details on the developer previews and first public beta.