At Google I/O, the tech giant made lots of announcements including news of an impressive new Google Maps feature, an inclusive update for Google Photos, and a natural conversation update for Google Assistant. There was much more though, as the tech giant offered an inside look into Android 13, codenamed Tiramisu, which should receive a release sometime this Fall.
In line with Google’s general theme for this year’s I/O event, the Android 13 announcement centered around security. This included news of a redesign of Google Pay into Google Wallet. This change brings with it the ability for users to store payment cards, vaccine certificates, health insurance cards, event tickets and more on their Android 13 devices. Yes, this does sound a lot like the Apple Wallet, meaning that soon Android users will also be able to ditch their wallets. Excitingly, Google also announced that it had plans to introduce a digital driver’s license to Google Wallet sometime this year.
Other announcements included improving the Material You customization aspects of Android, including stronger security features and music controls on the lock screen. Another security boost, although this time not your digital security, will come in the form of improved earthquake warnings that will offer improved tips for getting out of danger and to safety.
Another copy from, or should we say inspiration, from Apple comes in the form of a handoff feature, which will allow Android users to pass images and media to other Google products, including Android tablets. Speaking of Android tablets, another interesting announcement related to Google finally focusing on optimizing the Android experience to work on tablets, something which has long been overlooked by the company. This new focus includes updating and optimizing over 20 Google apps for use on tablets including Google Maps and Gmail.
As we mentioned earlier, Android 13 will likely drop sometime this Fall when Google releases its new Pixel line of smartphones. In the meantime, did you know that you can now install Android apps on Windows 11 apps?
Image via: Google
