The Google Pixel range of devices have some really great features, and now that Android 13 has come out, there’s much more to enjoy.
Here are five features that Google Pixel users have access to with Android 13.
What Google Pixel devices can get Android 13?
If you haven’t updated yet, Android 13 is available on Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Pixel devices released before the Pixel 4a are unsupported by this update and you’ll have to buy a new phone to use these features.
Additionally, Android 13 isn’t exclusive to Google Pixel devices, but the Pixel range is getting it a lot sooner than some other phones.
Android 13 and Pixel
1. Material You gets an update
The Material You personalisation system shipped with Android 12, and Android 13 features an update to the themed icon system that recolours the app icons based on your chosen colours.
In particular, Material You now has support for third-party apps, meaning that app developers are now able to roll out themed icons for your chosen colour scheme. At the moment, there aren’t many apps offering this, (9to5GFoogle has a running list on these apps) but it’s still a neat feature that brings a lot more personalisation to your phone.
You can activate themed icons by holding your finger down on your home screen wallpaper, tapping “Wallpaper and style”, scrolling down and activating “Themed icons”.
Additionally, six new Material You colour pallets are now available. You can change your colour palette in the “Wallpaper and style” menu from above.
2. An updated media player
On the lock screen of your Pixel device on Android 13, you’ll spot a refreshed media player that looks a lot better and is thematically changed around the album cover. The playback bar even dances. I hope they roll this out as a widget at some point, because it looks so much better than the YouTube and Spotify widgets on Android.
This player activates on the lock screen whenever media is playing from a supported app (such as YouTube, Chrome or Spotify).
3. Bedtime mode
Bedtime Mode got a slight update on Android 13, now dimming your wallpaper and applying a dark theme across your whole device. You can activate Bedtime mode by navigating to Settings, followed by Digital Wellbeing and Parental controls, and then Bedtime mode.
Pixel users also have access to cough and snore detection throughout the night.
4. Extra privacy settings
On Android 13, you’re able to limit which specific photos apps have access to, which is perfect if you don’t want an app to see your entire camera roll. Additionally, Android now clears clipboard data after long periods of time and apps will now need your permission to send you notifications, instead of having notifications on by default.
5. The Google VPN (soon)
Alright, so this one’s exclusive to Pixel 7 devices, whereas the other Android 13 features are rolled out across any phone with access to the new operating system (unless the phone maker has modified Android 13). We’re allowing it in this list on a technicality.
Google’s VPN is a feature coming to Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro devices on Android 13. Instead of having to pay for the Google One service, Pixel 7 users will get access to the VPN in December 2022. This allows you to browse the internet with greater anonymity, however, keep in mind that there are limits to how anonymous you really are with a VPN.
What other features does Android 13 have for Pixel users?
These are the highlights that Pixel users should take advantage of, but you can check out the rest of the features on Google’s Android 13 features post.