Android has limited the number of apps that access the clipboard and notify the user when the app gets something from it. But Android 13 adds another layer by automatically deleting whatever is in your clipboard after a short period of time. This way apps can’t figure out what old stuff you’ve copied, and — bonus — you’re less likely to accidentally share a list of co-workers about why they hate your company with their boss. friend. Android 13 also continues the process of reducing apps’ ability to request location sharing for things like turning on Wi-Fi.
Android 13 requires new apps to ask for permission before they can send you notifications. And the new release expands on a feature from Android 11 that can automatically reset app permissions when you haven’t used it for a long time. Since its launch, Google has extended the feature to devices running Android 6, and the operating system has now automatically reset more than 5 billion permissions, according to the company. This way, a game you don’t play anymore that had access to your microphone three years ago still can’t be heard. And Android 13 makes it easier for app developers to remove permissions if they don’t want to keep access for longer than they really need to.
Ensuring that Android devices around the world can receive security updates is a core stumbling block for Google, as Android’s open source nature allows any manufacturer to deploy the latest version of Android. own operating system. To improve the situation, the company has spent years investing in a framework called Google System Updates that breaks down the operating system into components and allows phone manufacturers to send updates directly to users. various modules through Google Play. There are more than 30 of these components available, and Android 13 adds components for Bluetooth and ultra-wideband, radio technology used at short ranges for things like radar.
Google is working to mitigate common security vulnerabilities that can appear in software by rewriting some important parts of the Android codebase in more secure programming languages like Rust and creating defaults. push developers in a safer direction with their own apps. The company has also worked to make its application programming interfaces more secure, and has started offering a new service called the Google Play SDK Index that aims to provide some transparency to the toolkits. widely used software development tools, so developers can be more informed before they incorporate these third-party modules into their applications.
Similar to Apple’s iOS Privacy Label, Android recently added a “Data Safety” field in Google Play to give users a sort of fact-nutrition label that explains how the app says it will handle your data. In practice, however, these types of disclosures are not always reliable, so Google is giving developers the option to have their claims independently verified by third parties against the standards. Mobile security has been set up. However, the process is still voluntary.
Eugene Liderman, director of Android Security Strategy.
Apple’s Android and iOS are both moving towards providing the ability to store government-issued identifying information. In Android 13, Google Wallet can now store such digital IDs and driver’s licenses, and Google says it’s working with both individual states in the US and governments around the globe to help. more this year.
With so much to focus on and tweak, Android 13 tries to capture a messy situation and contain it instead of letting it spiral out of control. And Android’s D’Silva says there’s a release later this year that she’s particularly looking forward to: a sort of secure hub in Settings that will centralize privacy and security options in one place. for users. Admittedly, it all becomes too much for the average user to keep track of on their own, perhaps.
