Whereas we’re all eagerly awaiting the Android 14 developer preview, which ought to hopefully launch quickly, Google continues to be busy with its prolonged Android 13 beta program to arrange the Android 13 Quarterly Platform Launch 2 (QPR2), or the March Function Drop. The newest launch to return to us is the Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3, which is generally involved with fixing bugs, nevertheless it additionally has just a few novelties hidden within the code. Here is all we discovered about Beta 3.

Lock display screen shortcuts

Many Android telephones, together with the Nothing Telephone 1 on Android 13, already permit you to add customized shortcuts to your lock display screen. This makes it attainable so that you can entry often-used choices shortly. The Google Pixel lineup has solely ever supplied shortcuts to your good house controls within the backside left and your Google Pockets within the backside proper, with no possibility to vary these. Google is engaged on this, although, as noticed by Mishaal Rahman. The Android knowledgeable managed to seek out and activate hidden flags that make it attainable to customise your lock display screen shortcuts.

The shortcut choices will turn into part of the Wallpaper & model app, which can obtain a revamped interface within the course of. In a brand new Shortcuts part, Mishaal Rahman was capable of choose from 4 totally different choices for shortcuts: Flashlight, Do Not Disturb Mode, Gadget controls, and Digital camera. Proper now, it does not seem like extra are supported, however this might change sooner or later.

Together with the customization choices, there may be additionally a tweak to how lock display screen shortcuts are activated. With the customized shortcuts enabled, Mishaal Rahman needed to faucet and maintain the buttons to begin the motion. This makes the characteristic behave extra in keeping with the iOS lock display screen, the place you additionally need to press and maintain the buttons to activate them. That is possible meant to cut back unintentional touches.

Wallpaper & model redesign

The Wallpaper & model app, which you’ll be able to entry by long-pressing an empty spot on your own home display screen, is in for a revamp with QPR2. Mishaal Rahman and leaker Kuba Wojciechowski have been capable of activate a redesigned model of the app that consists of two tabs: Lock display screen and residential display screen.

Within the lock display screen tab, you’ve gotten the choice to tweak lock display screen shortcuts, as talked about within the part above. The house display screen part stays largely as it and lets you toggle on and off darkish mode and alter the grid dimension for icons. Notice that the colour and theming choices are solely lacking as a result of the take a look at construct the characteristic was enabled on does not help Materials You.

Once you change your wallpaper on this redesigned interface, you are additionally greeted with a brand new look that opens in a full-screen view routinely. You possibly can swap between the house display screen and lock display screen on the backside and set the wallpaper with a button on the high proper.

Multitasking with a number of situations of the identical app

A brand new experimental flag makes it simpler to multitask with a number of situations of the identical app. That is possible largely geared toward huge display screen gadgets just like the rumored Google Pixel Fold or the Google Pixel Pill. When enabled, a button seems within the Recents menu that permits you to view solely home windows from a single app. In case you have a number of Chrome situations open, for instance, you’ll be able to extra simply swap solely between these.

Hub Mode settings for Pixel Pill

The upcoming Google Pixel Pill is all however confirmed to help a Hub Mode that may make it behave extra like a wise show when it is docked to its base. Mishaal Rahman managed to activate the corresponding settings panel for the Hub Mode, which collects all choices for the hub expertise. You possibly can tweak which notifications and reminders from Google Assistant you see there, which display screen saving choices ought to be enabled, and if the Pixel Pill ought to act as a Forged receiver or not. Notice that the choices aren’t essentially Pixel Pill-exclusive — they may very well be meant for different tablets as properly.

Cinematic wallpapers may solely be meant for the Pixel Pill

Again when Google was engaged on the preliminary Android 13 launch, the corporate was noticed engaged on 3D wallpapers with a “cinematic” impact. The characteristic would presumably flip photos you choose into 3D-optimized variations that supply a parallax impact as you progress your machine. In line with the newest findings by Mishaal Rahman, these wallpapers could be unique to the Pixel Pill and different big-screen gadgets.

The brand new taskbar for tablets and foldables is gone once more

In different pill information, the brand new “transient” taskbar is now not seen by default, which was the case within the second QPR2 beta. As a substitute, it must be enabled with a launcher flag. Thus, the conduct is again to the way in which it was within the first beta. In distinction to the usual taskbar, the transient one would routinely disappear when not in use. We assume that it is going to be again for the Google Pixel Fold and the Pixel Pill, although.

Bug fixes and extra

On Reddit, there are conflicting stories concerning the Google One VPN, which was damaged within the earlier beta model. Some individuals on older Pixel telephones at the moment are in a position to make use of Google’s premium VPN once more, whereas some on the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Professional nonetheless say that it does not work reliably. For these on the brand new Pixel telephones, that is notably annoying because the VPN is obtainable as a free possibility.

We are able to additionally verify that the launcher search is absolutely purposeful once more. In Beta 2, the system interface would repeatedly crash whenever you began a search after which scrolled down. That is now not the case on Beta 3.

Other than this, there are dozens of different bug fixes and enhancements added with this launch. You possibly can learn all about them within the Android 13 QPR2 Beta 3 launch notes printed by Google.

Be a part of the beta program to reside on the bleeding edge your self

In case you’re curious about giving the brand new QPR beta a attempt your self, be sure you learn to obtain and set up the Android 13 beta. Simply understand that you may run right into a bug or two that you just would not encounter on the secure model. In any case, these releases are particularly meant to iron out any bugs earlier than they make it into the ultimate launch. It is best to solely do that when you’ve gotten a secondary telephone which you could depend on in case of an emergency.

With Beta 3 now out of the way in which, we should always quickly see the secure launch of QPR2 within the type of the Android 13 March Function Drop. It would possible arrive early subsequent month.