14 DAY TRIAL // Now that Android 13 is finally available for Google’s very own Android devices, we can finally take a look at the feature lineup, down to the tiniest detail.
And as more users install Android 13, the more information emerges on what Android 13 brings new to the table.
And as it turns out, one of the new features is actually an idea that first went live on the iPhone: support for allowing access only to specific images in the photo gallery when apps require it.
In other words, apps no longer have to access the entire gallery but only the photos and videos that you specifically select.
“Gone are the days when you had to share your entire media library with your apps. In Android 13, you can select only the specific photos and videos they’ll need to access,” Google says.
Also available on the iPhone
It goes without saying this is a welcome improvement, as users no longer have to expose their entire photo galleries to apps but only the selected photos.
As said, Apple is already offering such capabilities on the iPhone since the debut of iOS 15, and while many are accusing Google of copying its rival, it goes without saying this was a must-have update anyway.
Also, it’s not like Apple hasn’t copied Android features before, as both Google and Apple often update their operating systems with similar functionality, not necessarily because they want to copy each other’s ideas but because the improvements they deliver make a lot of sense in the first place.
Android 13 is currently available only for the Google Pixel, but more Android device manufacturers should kick off the rollout to their own models in the coming months. Samsung, for instance, is currently offering Android 13 as part of a beta testing program, and the first phones should get it in October or November.