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The second developer preview (DP2) of Android 13 is officially out. In addition to the bulk of system-related changes coming to the latest iteration of Google’s mobile OS, there are a handful of visual tweaks onboard as well. Among them are the redesigned media player/controls and the accompanying output picker.
First reported by Esper (via XDA), these visual tweaks to the media controls are quite significant compared to Android 12. Media controls occupy slightly more space on Android 13 than on previous iterations of Android. However, it remains between the Quick Settings menu and the notification panel. The size of the media controls widget remains unchanged on the lock screen.
Moreover, the theme of the media controls widget varies based on the album art rather than the systemwide Material You colors set by the user. The album art encapsulates the entire media player widget in the background, which is a welcome change.
Google will release the first Android 13 beta next month
The output picker button remains in the top right corner of the media player widget. Tapping this opens a larger window/popup in the center of the screen rather than the bottom. This window is now more in line with Material You, while it also includes a ‘Pair new device’ button.
Developer previews give us a peek into what’s to come with the next major Android release. But this also means that dev previews don’t give us a complete picture of what’s to come. These releases are meant to give developers enough time to get adjusted to the new version of Android.
The first Android 13 beta release will commence in April. Eligible devices include the Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5, Pixel 5a 5G, and the more recent Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. It’s worth noting that the Pixel 3 will not receive the Android 13 update officially. However, custom ROMs should be available from the ever-active dev community.
One of the more significant changes included with Android 13 is the introduction of new runtime permissions for app notifications. The new update could also bring built-in support for Bluetooth LE Audio.
