Apps to ask your permission to send notifications in Android 13

Taking a cue from Apple, Google is bringing out a key notification permission feature in Android 13 where apps will seek your permission before posting notifications. Apple iOS has had a similar feature for years which has been very useful for the users.

"Apps targeting Android 13 will now need to request the notification permission from the user before posting notifications. For apps targeting Android 12 or lower, the system will handle the upgrade flow on your behalf," Dave Burke, a VP of engineering for Android, said in the post late on Thursday.

Some apps may no longer require certain permissions which were previously granted by the user to enable a specific feature, or retain a sensitive permission from an older Android version. "In Android 13, we're providing a new API (application programming interface) to let your app protect user privacy by downgrading previously granted runtime permissions," said Burke.

Google released the second Android 13 developer preview on Thursday with more new features. Another key feature in the second preview is Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio support. Low Energy (LE) Audio is the next-generation wireless audio built to replace Bluetooth classic and enable new use cases and connection topologies.

It will allow users to share and broadcast their audio to friends and family, or subscribe to public broadcasts for information, entertainment, or accessibility, said Google. Android 13 adds built-in support for LE Audio, "so developers should get the new capabilities for free on compatible devices".
The second Android 13 preview offers other improvements, including support for the new MIDI 2.0 standard that adds two-way communication, more precise timing, and higher resolution with 32-bit messages.