While the Samsung Galaxy S23 is all the rage, Google has quietly released a new Android 13 beta. Known as Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3, this update is focused on paving the way for new lock screen customizations in the future. A new his UI for wallpaper selection is also in development.
wait Mishaal Rahman on Twitter (opens in new tab) Learn more about all new features in Beta. Some of them seem small on the surface, but they show that Google is putting even more emphasis on one of Android’s greatest strengths: customizability.
Rahman’s thread discusses some notable additions. First, he says, Android 13 includes code for a new wallpaper picker UI. It may not seem like a big deal, but it leads to the next big part.
It’s no news that Android 13 may get new lock screen widgets.However, Rahman showed off what it looks like in the final release, featuring a flashlight and a[おやすみモード]I chose the toggle. Reminds me of iOS with flashlight and camera shortcuts.
Mishaal points out that the DND shortcut isn’t working right now, but I’ve managed to add it to my lock screen. A new wallpaper and stylized his UI will likely make room for lock screen customizations we’ve already seen, such as the ability to tweak the clock.
Some phone makers’ versions of Android like OxygenOS let you do this, but stock Android sticks to the big clock and its typeface. (When there is a notification, it shrinks to the corner.)
The new UI appears to separate home and lock screen options into separate tabs. This is a good way to keep things from getting confused.
You might get them all in the next Pixel Feature Drop in March. It could be a while before these show up, maybe even Android 14. You can install this Android 13 beta, but you may not be able to try out these new features as they are hidden in your code. Android experts like Mishaal dig to find out all this.