Google releases the first Android 13 developer preview, emphasizing security and privacy, dynamic colors, and more, available exclusively on Pixels

TechCrunch 2022-02-11 Frederic Lardinois

Context & Ripple Effects

Google had used Pixel-only developer previews for Android 12’s early testing cycle, establishing Pixels as the first checkpoint for platform changes before broader release stages. Android 13 now begins that same cycle with security, privacy, and visual-customization work exposed to developers.

The subsequent Android 13 coverage shows how the preview feeds into concrete app-facing milestones: Beta 1 added granular media permissions, and platform stability locked the developer APIs and app behavior.

First-order effects

Android developers can begin testing Android 13 behavior and dynamic-color support on Pixels, while Pixel users are the only device owners able to run the preview immediately.
Google moves its security and privacy changes into the developer-feedback phase, giving app makers an early window to identify compatibility issues before APIs are finalized.

Second-order effects

App developers face pressure to update permission handling and interface testing as Android 13 advances toward the later beta features, including more granular media access.
Pixel exclusivity makes Google’s hardware the initial validation environment for Android releases, leaving other Android device makers to follow Google’s preview and stabilization cadence.

Third-order effects

The Android release process increasingly separates early experimentation from a later API lock: developers are asked to test platform direction first, then build against a stable target once Google declares it ready.
If this cadence persists, Pixel-first previews will continue to give Google tighter control over when privacy and customization changes enter the wider Android ecosystem.

The trend: Android’s annual release cycle is using Pixel-first previews to stage privacy, platform, and interface changes before committing developers to stable APIs.

Discussion

@androiddev @androiddev on x
🚨🚨🚨 The first developer preview of #Android13! Find out what's new in the next version of Android, from 🔐 privacy features like 📷 photo picker, to developer updates like 📱 themed app icons, 🎛️ programmable shaders, and more. Get started ↓ https://android-developers.googleblog.c o…
@jakewharton Jake Wharton on x
More of this! https://developer.android.com/ ... Many of these new APIs have had available desugarings in R8 for a few years in case they showed up in libraries or by bytecode-emitting tools (or if Google finally updated Android). So a bunch of them will desugar to all API levels…
@kseniias @kseniias on x
One of my favourite #Android13 features is photo picker 🖼 It gives simple, predictable experience for users to select photos and videos (both local and cloud-based) and doesn't require requesting storage runtime permission by your app. Give it a try!👇 https://developer.android.co…
@yasmineevjen Yasmine on x
🥇 Developer preview for #Android13 is out! Including support for Themed icons. With this feature, app icons in supported Android launchers are tinted to inherit the coloring of the user's chosen wallpaper and light & dark themes. https://developer.android.com/ ... https://twitter…
@tech_that_out Shreyas on x
The photo picker by not giving Media and Files permission to the app is amazing! iOS already has this by manually picking all photos you want to share with that app. I'm not sure if it combines cloud media since I don't use it personally. #Android13 https://developer.android.com/…
@mishaalrahman Mishaal Rahman on x
I've just published the first version of my deep dive on Android 13. It's long, but it's going to get a lot longer once more DPs/Betas are released. (My draft version sits at ~4700 words.) https://blog.esper.io/...
@zollotech Aaron Zollo on x
You can learn more about Android 13 Preview here: https://developer.android.com/ ...
@davey_burke Dave Burke on x
First Android 13 developer preview! 13 is both a fibonacci and prime number so we have that going for us... Over the next months, we'll be building on tablet/foldable work from 12L, privacy & security, and dev productivity. https://android-developers.googleblog.c om/ ... https://…
@ronamadeo Ron Amadeo on x
Very proud that I managed four paragraphs about Android 13 Text Hyphenation. https://twitter.com/...
@mishaalrahman Mishaal Rahman on x
In other words, Google will make OEMs implement a dynamic theming engine or they can't ship Google apps on Android 12+ builds. OEMs can implement either Google's “monet” engine or their own monet-like implementation. https://twitter.com/...
@mishaalrahman Mishaal Rahman on x
Here's the official blog post from Google with more details on the tools developers should use to design and implement dynamic color in their apps: https://android-developers.googleblog.c om/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@mishaalrahman Mishaal Rahman on x
The Material You revolution won't be televised: According to an article from @AndroidPolice, GMS requirements will soon force device makers to implement a Material You dynamic theming engine such as Google's own “monet.” https://www.androidpolice.com/ ...

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