What you need to know
- The second Android 13 Developer Preview is now live.
- It brings a few additional privacy and security features, including notification permission and developer downgradable permissions.
- The new build also adds support for the next-generation Bluetooth LE Audio standard.
Google rolled out the first Android 13 developer preview last month, bringing new privacy features, improved language controls, and more. The search giant has now released the second Android 13 developer preview with additional new features and improvements.
Just like last year, Google is continuing to focus on privacy and security with Android 13. The second developer preview adds a new runtime permission for sending notifications from an app. All apps on Android 13 will have to request notification permission from the user before they can start pushing notifications.
Google has also introduced a new API that enables apps to downgrade previously granted runtime permissions. This will ensure that apps do not retain a sensitive permission from an older Android version that they no longer require.
The latest release also brings a bunch of new tools aimed at boosting developer productivity. These include improved Japanese text wrapping, improved line heights for non-Latin scripts such as Tamil and Burmese, new text conversion APIs, and color vector fonts.
Two other notable changes included with Android 13 Developer Preview 2 include support for Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio and MIDI 2.0 standards. Bluetooth LE Audio has been developed to replace Bluetooth classic and enable users to enjoy high fidelity audio without affecting battery life significantly.
MIDI 2.0, on the other hand, brings improved support for non-Western intonation, increased resolution for controllers, and “more expressive performance using per-note controllers.”
Google recommends that developers start compatibility testing their apps ahead of the first Android 13 Beta, which is expected to be released sometime early next month. In addition to Google’s Pixel phones, many of the best Android phones from popular OEMs are also likely to be eligible for the beta program.
As revealed last month, Google expects Android 13 to reach the Platform Stability milestone in June 2022. The final release is expected to arrive sometime in the third quarter of the year.
