The Android replace treadmill continues with the discharge of Android 13. It’s one of many smallest Android releases in latest reminiscence, with barely any user-facing options to level to. Keep in thoughts, although, that this replace follows the monster Android 12 launch from final 12 months. This can also be the second Android OS launch this 12 months, the earlier one being the tablet-focused Android 12L replace that was rushed out the door in March.

We would have a bit extra meat to work with if Android 12L was a part of this launch, however as it’s, we’re left with a seize bag of options for Android 13. It contains many foundational options for Android tablets and good shows, however there’s not a lot right here for telephones.

Even so, there are issues to debate, so let’s dive in.

The notification panel

One of the nicest modifications to Android 13 is the addition of the runtime notification permission. You’ve been in a position to block apps from displaying notifications for years, however apps now must explicitly ask for permission to beep at you and can pop up an “permit/deny” field at startup. As somebody who hardly ever needs to be bothered by my cellphone, I’ve discovered my approval fee may be very low. It seems like 95 % of apps ask for notification permissions, and I approve perhaps 10 % of them. It’s very satisfying to preemptively swat down annoying notifications.

As far as I can inform, this permission pop-up solely seems should you begin from a recent set up. For upgraders, the whole lot already has notification permissions, and the OS will not ask.

Google truly made a process supervisor

Another new notification characteristic is Google’s “Foreground Services (FGS) Task Manager,” which is a user-facing process supervisor that sits on the backside of the fast settings panel. Google and Apple strive very exhausting to not let customers have as a lot management over smartphones as they do PCs, however Google has lastly given customers a listing of working apps they’ll kill. It’s not a listing of each app like a conventional process supervisor; it is only a record of foreground providers. Foreground providers are Android apps which can be at the moment doing energetic work, even when they don’t seem to be displaying an interface to the consumer—issues like a music participant, health monitoring, automation, or a sync service.

The process supervisor lives on the backside of the fast settings panel as an extended, round bar that reads, “X apps are energetic.” Tapping on it is going to present a listing of working apps, with a “cease” button subsequent to every one. This is not Android’s first process supervisor—there have been numerous running-app interfaces obtainable within the developer settings over time—nevertheless it’s the primary one meant for customers.

In Android 8.0, Google introduced the hammer down on background processing, saying that if apps did not wish to be routinely shut down by the system, they wanted to point out the consumer after they had been working. In earlier variations of Android, an app would spawn a notification saying it was working. While it is useful to know what apps are working, placing this data within the notification panel and displaying an eye catching standing bar icon was annoying. The notification panel needs to be for brand spanking new and non permanent gadgets, not a 24/7 reminder saying, “Tasker is working.”

In Android 13, the duty supervisor takes over the notification duties, and now the everlasting notification is now not required. The notification will nonetheless pop up, however it may now be dismissed, not like in earlier variations of Android. Swipe away the notification, and the one indication that an merchandise is working might be in a neatly minimized quantity on the backside of the fast settings panel. This is a a lot nicer approach to deal with running-app notifications.