Google releases beta of Android with ‘platform stability’

Google has released the third beta of Android 13. The new operating system now has ‘platform stability’ and the APIs and behaviors of apps will therefore no longer change before the final release, the search giant said.

Google is with the third beta in their own words on track for a release later this year. That schedule has shown for some time that Google no longer wanted to make major changes after June and that the upcoming beta wants to focus mainly on bug fixes. According to the roadmap, a beta version will follow next month, after which the final release will take place at an unknown time.

The second beta came out last month, during its own developer conference I/O. The first developer preview is in February. The new Android version brings fewer changes than last year, when Google overhauled the entire interface.

Android 13 will include a Photo Picker to give apps access only to photos that the user wants, instead of giving access to all the footage at once. Android 13 also gets a new WiFi permission, NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES. With this permission, apps will be able to connect to other Wi-Fi devices without sharing the device’s location and giving permission via Android. The annual Android upgrade is gradually becoming less necessary, according to Google, as the company provides apps with new features via the Play Store and can upgrade other elements via the Play Services framework and the Play system updates.

The new beta can be installed alongside Google’s own Pixel phones on the ASUS Zenfone 8, Lenovo P12 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, OPPO Find X5 Pro, Realme GT 2 Pro, Aquos sense6, Camon 19 Pro, Vivo X80 Pro, Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi Pad 5.