Android 13 Go gets support for Play System Updates

Google has announced Android 13 Go, the light version of its mobile operating system. The most significant change is that the Go version now includes support for Play System Updates, to force updates through the Play ecosystem.

The support should ensure that the often cheap Android Go smartphones also regularly receive security updates outside the normal releases, says Google. The Play system updates have been around since Android 10, but were not yet included in Android 11 Go and Android 12 Go.

Another new feature is support for themes in colors coming from the wallpaper. Other Android 13 functions such as notification permissions and setting a language per app are also included in the Go version. Google doesn’t say what features it left out.

The system requirements are also higher. Google previously said that phones have at least 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage. This would make an upgrade for current phones with Android Go, which often come with less memory or storage, difficult. New phones with Android 13 Go will appear next year.

Android 13 Go