Code Android 13 refers to option for manual throttle internet connection

Android 13 may get an option for developers to test their apps with an internet connection with limited bandwidth. Throtting an internet connection can give developers more insight into the performance of an app.

The option in question was spotted by Esper in code from the Android Open Source Project. The code can be found in the already released Android 13 Developer Preview 2 version of the operating system, but for now there is no easy way to make use of it. Google has the arrival of the feature confirmed and expect to make this more widely accessible in the first Android 13 beta.

Developers can use the new global form of throttling to test how apps respond to a poor internet connection. The relevant functionality makes it possible to fine-tune an individual Internet connection to bytes. With a device that is connected to multiple networks, connections can be limited separately in bandwidth.

One of the drawbacks of the throttling feature is the fact that it must have kernel-level access. This would according to XDA Developers are not possible with most existing smartphones and tablets because kernel updates are usually no longer released after the release of a device.

For the time being, throttling the bandwidth of an internet connection via Android is also possible through an emulator of the operating system. Individual applications such as Google Chrome also have such a function.