Google Releases Android 13 Developer Preview 2

Five weeks after the release of Android 13 Developer Preview 1, Google has issued a second Developer Preview with new features and other changes.

“Last month, we released the first developer preview of Android 13, built around our core themes of privacy and security, developer productivity, as well as tablets and large screen support,” Google vice president Dave Burke writes. “Today we’re sharing Android 13 Developer Preview 2. “Today’s release also comes on the heels of the 12L feature drop moving to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) last week, helping you better take advantage of the over 250+ million large-screen Android devices.”

The relationship between 12L and Android 12/13 has been confusing, but with Google now clarifying the situation, it’s starting to make sense. And Burke notes that the large screen features in 12L are foundational in Android 13, so all of that goodness will carry forward to the next version.

As for Android 13 DP2, here are some of the key new features.

Notification permission. – Android 13 introduces a new runtime permission for sending notifications from an app, and apps that target Android 13 will now need to request this permission from the user before posting notifications. (For apps targeting Android 12 or lower, the system will handle the upgrade flow on your behalf, Google says.)

Bluetooth LE Audio support. Low Energy (LE) Audio is set to replace Bluetooth classic and enable new use cases and connection topologies, Google explains. “It will allow users to share and broadcast their audio to friends and family, or subscribe to public broadcasts for information, entertainment, or accessibility. It’s designed to ensure that users can receive high fidelity audio without sacrificing battery life and be able to seamlessly switch between different use cases that were not possible with Bluetooth Classic.”

Android 13 DP2 is available now on supported Pixel handsets—Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4 XL, and Pixel 4—and via 64-bit system images in the Android Emulator that’s part of Android Studio Dolphin. (If you already installed DP1 on your Pixel, you’ll automatically get this update.) You can learn more about how to get this release on the Android 13 Developer website.