Image: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
The first beta of Android 13 is out now, and it’s ready to try on your Pixel smartphone. The beta version came after two developer previews, and while some issues have been fixed to allow this version of the software to be used as a daily driver, keep in mind that the code is still being built.
Note that this is not the final release of the beta software, and we will have at least two more updates before the general release of Android 13 sometime this fall. If you don’t want to install it now, you can wait for the next update to be more complete.
If you do participate in the beta, please take some time to try out the new features. Some changes are obvious, such as Android’s improved media playback window and more options for Material You. Many parts of the interface have been fine-tuned for a better user experience, such as bringing smart home controls to the lock screen. I browsed through Android 13 and found these feature changes, big and small. So far, this is the thing that impresses me.