Android 13 Developer Preview 2

Posted by Dave Burke, VP of Engineering

Final month, we launched the primary developer preview of Android 13, constructed round our core themes of privateness and safety, developer productiveness, in addition to tablets and enormous display help. At the moment we’re sharing Android 13 Developer Preview 2 with extra new options and modifications so that you can strive in your apps. Your enter helps us make Android a greater platform for builders and customers, so tell us what you assume!

At the moment’s launch additionally comes on the heels of the 12L function drop shifting to the Android Open Source Challenge (AOSP) final week, serving to you higher benefit from the over 250+ million massive display Android units. And to dive into Android 13, tablets, in addition to our developer productiveness investments in Jetpack Compose, take a look at the most recent episode of #TheAndroidShow.

12L function drop, now in AOSP

Earlier than leaping into Developer Preview 2, let’s check out the opposite information from final week: we’ve formally launched the 12L function drop to AOSP and it’s rolling out to all supported Pixel units over the subsequent few weeks. 12L makes Android 12 even higher on tablets, and contains updates like a brand new taskbar that lets customers immediately drag and drop apps into split-screen mode, new large-screen layouts within the notification shade and lockscreen, and improved compatibility modes for apps. You’ll be able to learn extra right here.

Beginning later this yr, 12L shall be obtainable in deliberate updates on tablets and foldables from Samsung, Lenovo, and Microsoft, so now’s the time to verify your apps are prepared. We extremely suggest testing your apps in split-screen mode with home windows of varied sizes, attempting it in several orientations, and checking the brand new compatibility mode modifications in the event that they apply. You’ll be able to learn extra about 12L for builders right here.

And one of the best half: the massive display options in 12L are foundational in Android 13, so you’ll be able to develop and take a look at on Android 13 figuring out that you just’re additionally masking your bases for tablets working Android 12L. We see massive screens as a key floor for the way forward for Android, and we’re persevering with to take a position to provide the instruments you could construct nice experiences for tablets, Chromebooks, and foldables. You’ll be able to be taught extra about the right way to get began optimizing for giant screens, and ensure to take a look at our massive screens developer assets.

Let’s dive into what’s new in right this moment’s Developer Preview 2 of Android 13.

Privateness and person belief

Individuals need an OS and apps that they will belief with their most private and delicate data and the assets on their units. Privateness and person belief are core to Android’s product ideas, and in Android 13 we’re persevering with to deal with constructing a accountable and top quality platform for all by offering a safer surroundings on the system and extra controls to the person. Right here’s what’s new in Developer Preview 2.

Notification permission – To assist customers deal with the notifications which might be most necessary to them, Android 13 introduces a brand new runtime permission for sending notifications from an app: POST_NOTIFICATIONS. Apps concentrating on Android 13 will now must request the notification permission from the person earlier than posting notifications. For apps concentrating on Android 12 or decrease, the system will deal with the improve circulation in your behalf. The circulation will proceed to be high-quality tuned. To offer extra context and management in your customers, we encourage you to focus on Android 13 as early as doable and request the notification permission in your app. Extra right here.

Notification permission dialog in Android 13.

Developer downgradable permissions – Some apps might not require sure permissions which have been beforehand granted by the person to allow a selected function, or retain a delicate permission from an older Android model. In Android 13, we’re offering a new API to let your app defend person privateness by downgrading beforehand granted runtime permissions.

Safer exporting of context-registered receivers – In Android 12 we required builders to declare the exportability of manifest-declared Intent receivers. In Android 13 we’re asking you to do the identical for context-registered receivers as properly, by including both the RECEIVER_EXPORTED or RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED flag when registering receivers for non-system sources. This may assist be sure that receivers aren’t obtainable for different functions to ship broadcasts to except desired. Whereas not required in Android 13, we suggest declaring exportability as a step towards securing your app.

Developer productiveness

In Android 13 we’re working to offer you extra instruments that can assist you ship a sophisticated expertise and higher efficiency for customers. Listed below are a number of the updates in right this moment’s launch.

Improved Japanese textual content wrapping – TextViews can now wrap textual content by Bunsetsu (the smallest unit of phrases that sounds pure) or phrases — as an alternative of by character — for extra polished and readable Japanese functions. You’ll be able to benefit from this wrapping by utilizing android:lineBreakWordStyle="phrase" with TextViews.

Japanese textual content wrapping with phrase type
enabled (backside) and with out (high).

Improved line heights for non-latin scripts – Android 13 improves the show of non-Latin scripts (resembling Tamil, Burmese, Telugu, and Tibetan) by utilizing a line top that’s tailored for every language. The brand new line heights stop clipping and enhance the positioning of characters. Your app can benefit from these enhancements simply by concentrating on Android 13. Be certain that to check your apps when utilizing the brand new line spacing, since modifications might have an effect on your UI in non-Latin languages.

Improved line top for non-Latin scripts in apps concentrating on Android 13 (backside).

Textual content Conversion APIs – Individuals who communicate languages like Japanese and Chinese language use phonetic lettering enter strategies, which regularly decelerate looking out and options like auto-completion. In Android 13, apps can name the brand new textual content conversion API so customers can discover what they’re in search of sooner and simpler. Beforehand, for instance, looking out required a Japanese person to (1) enter Hiragana because the phonetic pronunciation of their search time period (i.e. a spot or an app title), (2) use the keyboard to transform the Hiragana characters to Kanji, (3) re-search utilizing the Kanji characters to (4) get their search outcomes. With the brand new textual content conversion API, Japanese customers can sort in Hiragana and instantly see Kanji search outcomes dwell, skipping steps 2 and three.

Colour vector fonts – Android 13 provides rendering help for COLR model 1 (spec, intro video) fonts and updates the system emoji to the COLRv1 format. COLRv1 is a brand new, extremely compact, font format that renders shortly and crisply at any measurement. For many apps it will simply work, the system handles all the pieces. You’ll be able to decide in to COLRv1 in your app beginning in Developer Preview 2. In case your app implements its personal textual content rendering and makes use of the system’s fonts, we suggest opting in and testing emoji rendering. Be taught extra about COLRv1 within the Chrome announcement.

COLRv1 vector emoji (left) and bitmap emoji.

Bluetooth LE Audio – Low Vitality (LE) Audio is the next-generation wi-fi audio constructed to exchange Bluetooth basic and allow new use circumstances and connection topologies. It is going to enable customers to share and broadcast their audio to family and friends, or subscribe to public broadcasts for data, leisure, or accessibility. It’s designed to make sure that customers can obtain excessive constancy audio with out sacrificing battery life and be capable of seamlessly change between completely different use circumstances that weren’t doable with Bluetooth Basic. Android 13 provides built-in help for LE Audio, so builders ought to get the brand new capabilities free of charge on suitable units.

MIDI 2.0 – Android 13 provides help for the brand new MIDI 2.0 normal, together with the power to attach MIDI 2.0 {hardware} by way of USB. This up to date normal gives options resembling elevated decision for controllers, higher help for non-Western intonation, and extra expressive efficiency utilizing per-note controllers.

App compatibility

With every platform launch, we’re working to make updates sooner and smoother by prioritizing app compatibility as we roll out new platform variations. In Android 13 we’ve made app-facing modifications opt-in to offer you extra time, and we’ve up to date our instruments and processes that can assist you prepare sooner.

With Developer Preview 2, we’re properly into the discharge and persevering with to enhance general stability, so now’s the time to strive the brand new options and modifications and provides us your suggestions. We’re particularly in search of enter on our APIs, in addition to particulars on how the platform modifications have an effect on your apps. Please go to the suggestions web page to share your ideas with us or report points.

 

It’s additionally an excellent time to begin your compatibility testing and establish any work you’ll must do. We suggest doing the work early, so you’ll be able to launch a suitable replace by Android 13 Beta 1. There’s no want to vary your app’s targetSdkVersion right now, however we do suggest utilizing the habits change toggles in Developer Choices to get a preliminary thought of how your app is likely to be affected by opt-in modifications in Android 13.

As we attain Platform Stability in June 2022, all the app-facing system behaviors, SDK/NDK APIs, and non-SDK lists shall be finalized. At that time, you’ll be able to wind up your remaining compatibility testing and launch a completely suitable model of your app, SDK, or library. Extra on the timeline for builders is right here.

App compatibility toggles in Developer Choices.

Get began with Android 13

The Developer Preview has all the pieces you could strive the Android 13 options, take a look at your apps, and provides us suggestions. You will get began right this moment by flashing a tool system picture to a Pixel 6 Professional, Pixel 6, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4 XL, or Pixel 4 system. If you happen to don’t have a Pixel system, you need to use the 64-bit system photos with the Android Emulator in Android Studio Dolphin. For even broader testing, GSI photos can be found. If you happen to’ve already put in a preview construct to your Pixel system, you’ll robotically get this replace and all later previews and Betas over the air. Extra particulars on the right way to get Android 13 are right here.

For full data, go to the Android 13 developer website.