New updates are always exciting. They mean fresh features, bug fixes to fix annoying issues and a whole new digital coat of paint on your phone. Right now, Android 13 is the coat of paint that adds new tweaks and changes to your Pixel if you decide to try it out early.
Google dropped the first beta for Android 13 Tuesday, April 26th. While a large number of smartphones are likely to be compatible with the update in the future, right now it is limited to Pixel devices only. Not only that, the list of compatible Pixel devices is also limited. The following are the only Pixels eligible for this Android 13 beta:
- Pixel 4
- Pixel 4 XL
- Pixel 4a
- Pixel 4a (5G)
- Pixel 5
- Pixel 5a
- Pixel 6
- Pixel 6 Pro
What’s new in Android 13?
Android 13 is not a revolutionary update to Google’s mobile OS. Instead, when you install the software on your phone, you will be greeted by minor features throughout the system. These include things like a new status bar for media playback, a screenshot-like icon for the clipboard, new Material You colors, the correct data in the Google Calendar icon, haptic feedback in silent mode, among other new tweaks.
It is possible that Google will add new features to Android 13 as it continues beta testing, but so far it is still a step-by-step update over Android 12.
Understand the risks of running Android 13 and all beta software
Before proceeding, understand the risks of installing beta software on your Pixel or any device for that matter. Beta software is inherently unfinished: it’s a developer’s chance to test the software on a larger pool of devices and find out what bugs or issues are still left.
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Has an always on screen, lots of different dials, hundreds of apps, can track your activity and fitness goals and keep you updated with notifications.
As such, you may experience errors or issues that Google has not yet resolved. You may even encounter a problem that seriously affects your phone to the point where you need to reset it and remove the beta completely. Because of this risk and the risk of data loss that comes with it, make sure you have a backup of everything important on your device before installing Android 13.
The easiest way to install Android 13 on your Pixel phone
By far the easiest way to get Android 13 on your Pixel is by signing up for the device in Google’s beta program. Instead of flashing the beta manually to your phone, you can simply upgrade from OTA updates in Settings, just like you usually do.
To start, go to Google’s official Android beta site, and then make sure you’re signed in to your Google Account. You can see all the Qualified Pixel devices associated with your Google Account on this page. To start the process, select “+ Opt In” next to the device on which you want to install Android 13 beta. If you are already running another Android beta on your Pixel, such as Android 12 beta, deselect this application before signing up for Android 13.
When you choose to sign up for the device, you will see a pop-up with the various beta programs available by Google. Select “Android 13” and then “Review Terms”. Review any additional steps presented here, and once your phone is official signed up, go to Settings> System> System update to check for Android 13 beta 1. Once available, simply install it on your device and enjoy it. You will find future Android 13 beta updates here, as well.
Alternatively, you can manually install Android 13 beta 1 on your Pixel
While signing up for your Pixel in Google’s Android 13’s beta program is the most straightforward way to jump into the beta, it’s not the only way. You can also manually flash the software to your Pixel if you prefer. It is not particularly difficult, but there are several steps involved.
We have previously written about flashing Android betasand Google has instructions specifically for Android 13but 9to5Google also has an excellent crawl break down every single step of this process.
[9to5Google]