Android 13 Launch May Have Been Pushed Back To September 2022

Google has published the “Android 13 Security Release Notes” alongside the August 2022 Security Bulletin, implying that the next major version of the mobile OS will be released in September. These release notes detail vulnerabilities affecting Android devices that have been fixed as part of Android 13.

Google reports 107 vulnerabilities in the Android runtime, Framework, Media Framework, Package, Platform (which is included twice for some reason), and System. Also, the security patch level 2022-09-01 hints that Android 13 will be released in September. However, this might simply be the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) launch. This security level, however, does not indicate when the Pixel rollout will take place. Last year, Android 12 was published to AOSP in early October, but the Pixel upgrade did not begin for another two weeks.

Notably, Android 13 had launched its public Beta Program ahead of schedule. There were only two developer previews, and the first beta was released a month before Google I/O 2022. Google published Android 13 Beta 4 earlier than expected last month, leading consumers to believe that the final stable release may occur in August.

The Android 12 August security patch has not yet been issued by Google, but it should be available for Pixel devices soon. While the most recent security update was recently sent to the Pixel 6a, the phone has also received the Android 13 Beta.