Android 13 arrives for Pixel phones starting today

Image: Google

The search giant has announced that the major update for the mobile operating system will be released today. The annual update is getting an official release a little earlier than usual, following the releases of the previous two versions.

The list of updates arriving with this year's version ofAndroid is likely to be familiar if you've been keeping up with the releases of the previous version. There is a new option to limit which of your photos and videos an app can access, as well as the ability to personalize non-Google app icons to match your home screen wallpaper.

Image: Google

Image: Google

There is more evidence of this in the official release of the software, as we wrote back in January. Spatial audio with head tracking is designed to make sounds appear as though they are coming from a fixed point in space when you move your head while wearing compatible headphones. The post doesn't say which headphones this will work with, but it does say that the update to the Pixel Buds Pro will include spatial audio support.

The ability to stream messages from apps is similar to the ability to send messages on the mac. It is one of the features that was detailed in January. As well as its own Messages app, one of the promotional assets shows this working with the messaging app Signal, and the company says the feature will work with a lot of your other favorite messaging apps. There is a feature in the update that allows you to copy content from your phone to your tablets.

Image: Google

Image: Google

Other features include the ability to set languages on a per-app basis, a new media player that adjusts its look based on what you're listening to, and improved multitasking on larger screens.

The announcement doesn't specify which devices will get the update today, but the software has been available for a long time on all of the devices. Sameer Samat wrote in today's announcement post that the update will be coming to devices from other manufacturers. More information on the changes coming in the update can be found in a post by the search engine.