Android 13 Arrives at I/O With Google Wallet, RCS and Cast for Cars
The Google I/O preview for Android 13 included updates for phones, more support for foldables and better integrations with your TV, laptop, car, speakers and smart home devices.
At Google I/O on Wednesday, we got a fresh and detailed look at Android 13. The new phone OS was announced back in February, but will debut this fall. It builds on the changes that came with Android 12 and offers more Material You personalizations, increased tools for privacy and security, more RCS messaging support, a revamped Google Wallet and better integrations with Chromebooks, watches, TVs, cars and smart home devices. The new software makes Android and Google's vast software ecosystem more competitive with Apple's wide portfolio of software and services. The proof is in the numbers.
For the first time ever, Google shared the number of Android phone activations, which in 2021 exceeded 1 billion devices. And there are more than 3 billion active Android devices monthly according to Sameer Samat, vice president of product management for Android and Google Play.
Those statistics, combined with things like Samsung offering four years of major Android OS updates, put Google in a unique position. It has to support a diverse array of old and new phones as well as tablets and foldables. Luckily, Android 13 is proof that Google is ready and eager to keep its crown jewel OS customizable and up to date while giving Android phone owners a more seamless experience across multiple devices. Some of the features Google highlighted are improvements to existing features or support for features in more countries.
Android 13 is currently in beta. For more information check out Google's Android Beta website.
End-to-end encryption for RCS group chats in Messages
Google worked with carriers and phone manufacturers over the last several years to roll out Rich Communication Services as a feature-rich alternative to SMS and MMS text messaging. This provides support for high-quality photos, messaging over Wi-Fi, a better group messaging experience and typing indicators, which let you know when someone is typing. The app already supports end-to-end encryption for one-to-one conversations automatically, and support for encrypted group chats will roll out later this year.
Google notes that its RCS-powered Messages app -- the default texting app on many Android phones -- already has half a billion monthly active users on Android phones. While the RCS standard could eventually become universal, for now it remains unsupported on iOS and other phone operating systems.
Google Wallet and Wear OS
Google Wallet, which originally debuted in 2011, gets a number of updates and new functionality. Google Wallet can store digital versions of your essential documents, including payment cards, transit passes, office badges, vaccine records, car keys, boarding passes and student IDs. The idea is to provide a faster, more secure alternative to physical cards. Google is working with US states and international governments to support digital IDs, something Apple Wallet started to support in several US states back in March.
Google Wallet will also allow you to share a digital card over either NFC or a QR code, which could be a faster way to share a card's information instead of physically handing your phone over to the person checking it.
Google Wallet also supports integrations with other apps that you can opt into. For example, if you have a transit card in Google Wallet, your card and balance will automatically show up in Google Maps when you search for directions. That way, if your balance is low, you can add more money for the fare before you arrive at your station or stop.
In terms of controlling your privacy, Google Wallet stores everything securely on your phone and doesn't share data with Google services.
Later this summer more than 40 countries that currently use Google Pay will be upgraded to Google Wallet. The exceptions are India, which will still use Google Pay, and the US and Singapore which will have both Google Wallet and Google Pay. Any device running Android 5 (Lollipop) or Wear OS will support it.
Emergency SOS is coming to Wear OS
When there's an emergency, our phones become even more vital. As part of Android 12, Google rolled out Emergency SOS which lets you get help, contact a trusted person and share your emergency information without unlocking your phone. Google is working to bring Emergency SOS to Wear OS.
Emergency Location Services, which is already built into Android, helps first responders find you when you call for help. ELS is now available to more than 1 billion people worldwide.
Early Earthquake Warnings via Android are already in place in 25 countries, and this year Google will launch them in more high-risk regions around the world. In places that don't have official early warning systems, Android can crowdsource indications of an earthquake from phones. When devices first detect waves generated by quakes, Google analyzes the data from phones and sends an early warning alert to people in that area.
