Android 13 beta has native support for exFAT file system

Android 13 gets native support for the exFAT file system. This makes it possible to process files larger than 4GB. However, it is not yet certain that it will be a permanent Android 13 feature.

The file system is compatible with Android thanks to a recent Linux kernel version 5.10 or newer. For example, ExFAT makes it possible to use flash memory with exFAT file system, such as discovers Esper after extensive research. Interestingly, the file system should also be compatible with, say, Android 12, as that operating system uses the correct version of the Linux kernel in question, in that case version 5.10.81.

In contrast, according to Esper, specific helper binaries are needed that are only present in the third beta of Android 13; To mount storage media with an exFAT file system, the files mkfs.exfat and fsck.exfat are required. These helper binaries were not previously included in the operating system by Google.

ExFAT, short for Extensible File Allocation Table, was developed by Microsoft in 2006 and has been supported for some time on some Android devices through licensing deals. Samsung and Google are mentioned by Esper as paying customers, with Samsung even developing its own exFAT driver. After Microsoft made exFAT public in 2019, the Samsung driver specifically mentioned was included in Linux 5.7 after which the file system became more widely supported.

Esper got a USB-C flash drive with exFAT file system connected to the Google Pixel 6 Pro thanks to the Android 13 (beta 3)​​​​​

Update, 6.55 pm: The article incorrectly referred to exFAT as a file type. This does not cover the load well, because it is an umbrella file system. The title and the actual text have been changed, among other things.