Google announced the Android 13 Developer Preview 1 in February, and the company started rolling out Developer Preview 2 yesterday. The new preview version comes with several improvements for developers, and it also comes with some tweaks to privacy, Material You theming engine, languages controls, and many more.

Google published a post detailing the new changes in Android 13 Developer Preview 2, but in this article, we’ll mainly focus on the new features and other tweaks in the new update.

Do Not Disturb is renamed to Priority mode

The feature works the same way as before. It lets you silence calls, notifications, and messages from non-favorite contacts, preventing notifications from popping up in the middle of the night. The feature has been renamed to “Priority mode”, suggesting we might see even more features added in the near future.

Security and Privacy shortcut

Android had separate toggles for the camera, microphone, and location on the Quick Setting menu. On Android 13 DP2, the three tiles will be combined under the new “Security & Privacy” toggle to make it easier to find and use.

“Google knows that users want an operating system that they can trust with their data. After all, smartphones have reached the point where they are effectively an extension of ourselves and our own lives in a lot of ways. We use them for storing important photos, having private conversations with friends and family, and carrying them with us day to day with the trust that microphones or cameras aren’t recording every interaction. We’ve seen changes for Android 13’s permissions system (amongst other changes) introduced in Android 13 Developer Preview 1, and Developer Preview 2 expands on that.”

QR code scanner tile works now

The new QR code scanner tile was added in the first preview in the Quick Settings panel, but it didn’t work. The latest DP2 update adds the functionality, and it now allows you to scan QR codes without needing to pull up your camera or Google Lens.

Notification permissions

Applications that target Android 13 will now have to request the notification permission from the user before posting notifications. All apps targeting Android 12 or lower, the system will handle the upgrade flow. The new feature will give users more options and more access to control if they wish to receive messages and notifications from third-party apps.

New icons in Quick Settings

The bottom of the notification shade now contains new pinned toggles for the power menu, settings, and profiles (assuming that it’s enabled on your device). Once the entire panel is fully expanded, you’ll be able to see the new pinned toggles and their new icons.

When will Android 13 release?

Android 13 release cycle

Source: Android Blog

Google didn’t update the new Android 13 software update timeline, which means that we’re on track with the initial plan. Developer Preview 2 was likely the last update, and we should see the first Beta Release in April. As we’ve seen in recent years, we expect Android 13 to launch around August or September.