Android 13 Wishlist: What we are expecting this year

Android 13 is almost here, with the public beta expected to come in the coming weeks. We’ve tried out the Preview, and made an Android 13 Wishlist of Android 13 features we’d like to see later this year. It’ll be difficult for Google to follow up such a big mobile OS update, just based on the size of the Android 12 release. The overall stability and speed of the Android 12 update has been a key topic of criticism. While that particular topic didn’t make our shortlist, we do hope that Google can improve the OTA deployment times this year and keep problems to a minimum.

Google should restore the ability to change icon shape, font, and even status bar icon style in Android 13. That’s just the tip of an iceberg as we’re sure more options would be appreciated if the Wallpaper & style section just restored some popular features or allowed Material You to be disabled if you so wish. This is one of our top Android 13 Wishlist

Video – Android 13 Wishlist: Features and functions we’d really love to see. Subscribe to 9to5Google on YouTube for more videos. Android 13 wish list – return of Pixel Launcher customization. Material You has been a fairly divisive change that is the very backbone of Android 12 on Pixel phones. It removes certain customization elements that had become staples of AOSP builds in favor of more system-driven tuning all based upon your system wallpaper choice. Sure, third-party launchers can provide the added customization options that have been dumped in Android 12 and 12L. However, there are areas that still remain off-limits unless you choose to root your Pixel device.

It’s very debatable if the move from a capacitive fingerprint scanner to an in-display optical scanner has really been a wise design choice on the Pixel 6 series. Troubles aside, early hints ahead of the Pixel 6 series launch had us hoping for some form of software-based Face Unlock. All evidence of this has been scrubbed from the public-facing promotional materials but we’d really like Google to add the option in Android 13, thus, we had to add it to our Android 13 Wishlist

Developer Preview 1 lets you turn on the flashlight or torch using Quick Tap but it would be great to fully customize the gesture. Another Android 13 Wishlist will be being able to directly open the new QR code scanner or being able to disable Wi-Fi or mobile data just by tapping. Not only that, it would be great to be able to set gestures based on how many times you have tapped the back of your phone. For example, a double-tap enables the flashlight, but a triple-tap activates Do Not Disturb mode. The possibilities could be endless and it would be great to see just a few further controls.

As it stands, only the Pixel 4 and 4 XL are able to access hands-free secure unlocking. Sure, software-based Face Unlock isn’t quite as secure as a hardware-based scanner. However, it would be great to at least have the option in Android 13. Quick Tap has been a great new addition to Android 12, but while it offers you the ability to quickly open or launch some of your favorite apps and services, it could be seen as a little lacking in overall utility to some. In Android 13, our Wishlist would be to see greater options to customize and control our Android devices with the back tap gesture.

The “Rules” feature acts very much as a basic automation feature and it’s often overlooked or lesser-known to most people. Using simple IFTT (if this then that) commands you can activate Do Not Disturb, set your phone to silent, set your phone to vibrate, or set your phone to ring. That’s about the limits of what you can do with Rules in Android 12.

To do anything extra, you’ll need to use a third-party service like Tasker or MacroDroid. While they are great in their own right it would be nice to just get a few more options, like maybe activating Assistant Driving mode when connecting to a certain Bluetooth device or even disabling certain features at a time or place. We’re certainly not asking for in-depth controls, just a few more options.

The At a Glance widget feels like it’s taking over within the Pixel Launcher but it would be nice if Google just copied iOS and even One UI in Android 13 by offering the ability to just stack widgets atop one another. There’s no real utility benefit here but it just makes organizing your home screen so much easier. Having one widget to rule them all is just a nice option to have if you like a simple setup. There’s the added bonus of better functions than the fairly basic At a Glance widget too.