Google published the ‘Android 13 Security Release Notes’ alongside the August 2022 Security Bulletin. These notes do suggest that Android 13 will launch in September.
Google gave us a big hint Android 13 will launch in September
The notes detail “vulnerabilities affecting Android devices which are addressed as part of Android 13”. On top of that, the 2022-09-01 security patch level is the biggest giveaway that Android 13 is coming next month. It says the following: “Android 13 devices with a security patch level of 2022-09-01 or later are protected against these issues (Android 13, as released on AOSP, will have a default security patch level of 2022-09-01)”. Now, we cannot be 100% sure, of course. Last year, for example, Android 12 got released to AOSP in early October, while an update for Pixels arrived two weeks after that. Still, this gives us hope.
Even the public-facing Beta program started earlier than usual
Another detail that gives us hope is the public-facing Beta program. It started earlier for Android 13, earlier than it did for Android 12, which likely means the stable update will arrive sooner as well. We’ve had only two developer previews this time around, while the first beta arrived a month before Google I/O 2022 (which occurred in May). The fourth Beta dropped last month, while Google noted that it’s the final Beta we’ll get before the stable build. Android 13 won’t exactly be a huge overhaul of the OS, we kind of got that with Android 12. Android 13 will, however, bring an extra coat of polish, along with some additional security and regular features. Those of you who used Beta builds of the OS know exactly what to expect. The Beta 4, even though not stable enough for daily use (for most people), can give you a great idea as to what to expect next month.
