Skip to main content

Early Android 13 leak shows handy language and notification control tools

Android 13 is still about nine months away, but development appears to be in full swing at Google and an early glimpse at the next-gen smartphone OS has already popped up online. The folks over at XDA-Developers have gotten their hands on screenshots depicting a very early build of Android 13 from an unspecified source with access to it. Before we go into details, it is worth mentioning here that some of these features might get pushed, or never make it out of the test phase.

App language

First in line is an Android 13 feature called App Language. As the name makes it abundantly clear, it will allow users to specify the UI language on a per-app basis. The feature has been in development under the codename ‘Panlingual’ and will be accessible on this path: Settings > System > Languages & input > App Languages. Once an app has been selected, users will be taken to its App Language page where they can make the necessary linguistic adjustment.

Recommended Videos

Notification control tool

Next in line is a notification control tool that will help control the barrage of unnecessary notifications. With Android 13, Google appears to be testing a new “POST_NOTIFICATIONS” protocol that will make notifications an opt-in feature. What that means is just as with permissions for accessing camera and location, users will be able to specify if an app can send notifications.

Android 13 features.
Credit: XDA-Developers Image used with permission by copyright holder

Android 12 does allow users to enable or disable notifications on a per-app basis, but it is a hassle for users who aren’t too tech-savvy. Making apps seek notification permission from the get-go appears to be a useful tweak.

What else?

XDA-Developers’ report also highlights something called TARE, which stands for The Android Resource Economy. Not much is known about it, but it appears to be a system that will impose certain app activity restrictions when the battery level is low. There is also an option to let users retain the single line layout for the clock widget on the lock screen, irrespective of notifications.

Android 13 is also expected to add support for LC3 codec for audio playback as part of the Bluetooth LE Audio package. This was first spotted by Esper Senior Technical Editor Mishaal Rahman, who subsequently tweeted about it and mentioned that LC3 adoption will be ready by the time Android 13 is released. LC3 (Low Complexity Communications Codec) is touted to provide higher quality audio transmission at low bitrates.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started…
Android 16’s latest beta promises deeper mobile photography controls
The Android 16 logo on a smartphone, resting on a shelf.

Google has started rolling out the second beta update of Android 16 for supported Pixel devices. There are not many user-facing features arriving with this build, but Google is making a few framework changes that will enhance the camera experience for users in the near future.

The most notable change is a new hybrid auto exposure system arriving with the Camera2 API upgrade. So far, users have only had access to rudimentary controls in the auto-mode for capturing stills and videos. For deeper controls, there was no other option than digging into the cluttered Pro mode.

Read more
The OnePlus 13 has already set an impossible standard for Android phones in 2025
A person taking the OnePlus 13 out of a pocket.

Four weeks into the first month of the year, one thing is clear about smartphones in 2025: this is going to be an extremely competitive year. Whereas some phone makers used to wait until February or March to launch their flagships for the first half of the year, the early launch of the Snapdragon 8 Elite last year has seen all companies launch their products early.

Honor launched the Magic 7 Pro two weeks ago, followed by Samsung with the Galaxy S25 series last week. Before both of these, however, was the launch of the OnePlus 13, a phone that I think is setting the standard for smartphones in 2025 in so many ways.

Read more
How many software updates does the OnePlus 13 get?
A person holding the OnePlus 13, showing the wireless charging insert in the camera cutout.

The OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R are the company's latest entries in the western market, with the OnePlus 13 designed to serve as a sort of flagship and the 13R to take the role of a midrange, entry-level phone.  The OnePlus 13 starts at $900, while the 13R retails for $600 for its 12GB RAM/256GB storage configuration.

Considering the price of other flagships, the OnePlus 13 is more wallet-friendly than most. But does that come with a tradeoff, and will the phone be worth considering in two or three years? The simple answer is yes, although there are several factors you should be aware of.
How many software updates does the OnePlus 13 get?
The OnePlus 13 will receive four years of major software updates and six years of security updates. This means the OnePlus 13 will reach the end of its lifespan on Android 19, although it will still be a viable phone for a couple of years after, thanks to the security updates.

Read more