First look at Android 13 reveals opt-in notifications, new language settings, and more

What you need to know

• Android 13 could allow users to select languages on a per-app basis.
• New lock screen options will allow users to maintain the new lock screen clock.
• Other improvements may include better Bluetooth LE support.

Android 12 is barely making rounds on some of the best Android phones. Yet as companies struggle with bugs in their stable builds, we're already getting early looks at what Android 13 will bring to the table.

XDA-Developers managed to get their hands on a very early build of Android 13. While there don't appear to be any major changes so far, there are a few notable features from this build that we may or may not see in the next major Android upgrade.

The first includes a feature first reported this week by Android Police. This setting would allow users to select their preferred language on a per-app basis. The setting, codename "Panlingual," would be helpful in certain situations for multilingual users. XDA-Developers managed to show us what the feature might look like in use.

Image 1 of 3

According to XDA, one limitation to this feature is that the app must support the selected language for it to work. However, it could encourage developers to expand language support.

Android 13 may also change how notifications are handled. Instead of apps automatically pushing notifications to your smartphone as they do on current versions, notifications may become opt-in. This means users would have to allow apps to push notifications, similar to how devices ask for permission to use location data or other peripherals.

Source: XDA-Developers

This would allow users to better handle notifications, which can pile up quickly as you download more apps. This way, users can decide from the get-go if they want apps to push notifications instead of having to dig into app settings later.

There are also reports indicating that Android 13 will include other improvements, such as better support for Bluetooth LE Audio, a new power management system for apps called "TARE" (The Android Resource Economy), and a new option to maintain the double-line lock screen clock from Android 12.

It's still pretty early, and there's no saying which features will make the final cut for Android 13. Google could very well be testing out some of these features but decide to push them for a later version. We also shouldn't expect any major visual changes given the massive paint job Android 12 received with Material You.

If the 2020 timeline is anything to go by, we may not expect the first developer preview of Android 13 to arrive until February. That's when we should get a better look at what Google has planned for its next major version update.