Stable Android 13 Released

Earlier this month, Google released the Android 13 Beta 4.1 for the Pixel devices. This was the last of the beta updates and today, the firm released the stable version for eligible Pixel smartphones.

Highlights hide

1. Personalized to you

2. Keeping you protected and secure

3. Helping your devices work better together

4. Download Android 13

All the supported Pixel devices running Android 12.1 can now download the latest Android 13 update by visiting Settings > About Phone > Software Updates. Users of Android 13 Beta 4.1 will receive a minor incremental OTA update to the final version; as there is not much difference between the two.

Android 13 focuses on controls for “privacy and security” for the end-user. It improves privacy and security, developer productivity, enhanced Material You-based wallpaper theme engine, as well as brings tablet and large screen support.

Google lists all the Android 13 features and changes on this page: Google Pixel Update – Android 13. In addition to this, Google also published a blogpost featuring 13 new features in Android 13.

To summarize, Android 13 comes with, but is not limited to, the following features:

Android 13 comes with more customization with the new Material You design
Enhanced privacy and security
Adjust to any screen — like smartphone, tablet, laptop
Updated media player and more widgets that tailors its look and feel based on the content
Updated Digital Wellbeing
Improved Copy and Paste
Copy content — like a URL, picture, text, or video — from your Android phone and paste it onto your tablet.
Fewer Notifications
Better Tablet Support
Quick QR Code Scanner
Improved Media Player
Smart-Home Controls on the Lock Screen
Double Tap for Flashlight
Bluetooth LE Audio Support
Encrypted Group Chats
Different Languages for Apps
The New Google Wallet

Android 13 also comes with the latest August 2022 security patches.

The OTA updates and factory images are now available for Google Pixel 6a, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4 XL, or Pixel 4 devices.

The software versions are as follows:

Pixel 4 (XL): TP1A.220624.014
Pixel 4a: TP1A.220624.014
Pixel 4a (5G): TP1A.220624.014
Pixel 5: TP1A.220624.014
Pixel 5a (5G): TP1A.220624.014
Pixel 6: TP1A.220624.021
Pixel 6 Pro: TP1A.220624.021
Pixel 6a: TP1A.220624.021.A1

Personalized to you

A customized Android 13 homescreen with complementary colors and app icons that match the wallpaper shows personalization.

1. Android 13 comes with an evolved look and style that builds on Material You. You can customize non-Google apps to match your phone’s wallpaper theme and colors, making your home screen more cohesive and unique to your style.

2. For the many Android users who speak more than one language, we’ve added a top feature request. You can assign specific languages to individual apps so you can keep your phone’s system in one language, and each of your apps in a different language.

3. Android 13 features an updated media player that tailors its look and feel based on the music or podcast you’re listening to. For example, when you’re listening to music, the media player spotlights album artwork and has a playback bar that dances as you progress through a song. It even works for media played through Chrome.

4. Your wellbeing has been an important theme for Android – and getting enough sleep is key! Android 13 allows you to further customize Bedtime mode with wallpaper dimming and dark theme. These screen options help your eyes adjust to the dark when you’re about to go to bed – and get back to sleep if you wake up and check your phone in the middle of the night.

Keeping you protected and secure

5. Gone are the days when you had to share your entire media library with your apps. In Android 13, you can select only the specific photos and videos they’ll need to access.

6. Prevent any unwanted access to your clipboard. If you copy sensitive data like your email address, phone number or login credentials on your device, Android will automatically clear your clipboard history after a period of time.

7. Android 13 helps keep your notifications under control and makes sure you only get the alerts you ask for. The apps you download will now need your explicit permission to send notifications, rather than being allowed to send notifications by default.

Helping your devices work better together

The user composes an email on an Android tablet with Gmail open. The user opens the full app library from the taskbar and drags Photos onto the screen in split screen mode with Gmail. With the screen split, the user hard presses on an image from the Photos app open on the right side of the screen and drags it into the email on the left side of the screen.

8. Feel like you’re in the middle of the action with Spatial Audio. On supported headphones that enable head tracking, Spatial Audio shifts the source of the sound to adapt with how you turn your head, giving you a more immersive listening experience on your Android phone or tablet.

9. When you’re on your laptop, you don’t want to break your workflow to respond to a chat from your phone. Soon, you’ll be able to stream your messaging apps directly to your Chromebook so you can send and receive messages from your laptop.

10. Android 13 adopts Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, a new Bluetooth audio standard that results in lower latency than classic audio. This allows you to hear audio that’s in better sync with the sound’s source, reducing delay. With Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio, you can also enjoy enhanced audio quality and broadcast audio to multiple devices at the same time.

11. You’ll soon be able to copy content — like a URL, picture, text or video — from your Android phone and paste it on your tablet. Or you can start on your tablet and paste to your phone.

12. Multitasking on your tablet is even easier with Android 13. With the newly updated taskbar on tablets, you can see all your apps at a glance and easily drag and drop any app in your library into split-screen mode.

13. Android tablets will register your palm and stylus pen as separate touches. So whether you’re writing or drawing on your tablet, you’ll experience fewer accidental stray marks that come from simply resting your hand on the screen.

Download Android 13

Here, download the stable Android 13 OTA updates, factory images, and latest GSI (Generic system images) for the Pixel 4 (XL), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a as well as the Android Emulator.

The easiest way to get Android 13 on Pixel devices is via Factory Images or flashing OTA files from Android 12.

Pixel 6a: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6 Pro: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 6: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5a: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 5: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a (5G): Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4a: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4 XL: Factory Image — OTA
Pixel 4: Factory Image — OTA