The Material You Design Comes To Entry-Level Phones With Android 13 Go Edition

Google’s Material You design language has been accessible since Android 12, but if you bought an entry-level Go Edition phone, you’d never know. Fortunately, Google is now delivering that look to lower-cost handsets. The recently launched Android 13 Go Edition introduces Material You to these entry-level smartphones for the first time, including color themes that match your wallpaper as well as a more elegant overall design.

It should also be simpler to update your phone. Android 13 Go Edition has Google Play System Updates, which, like the ‘full’ platform, ensure you receive essential updates without having to wait for your manufacturer to upload the updated code. Of course, this might help resolve security problems quickly, but it will also keep your device updated without eating up the typically restricted storage on budget phones.

Discover, a curated collection of news items and other material, is now available in the new Go version. Some of Android 13’s subtler changes, like notification permissions and per-app language settings, are available here.

The first Android 13 Go Edition phones are not expected to be released until 2023. Having said that, Google adds that the release is as much a symbol of Go’s growth as it is a technological advancement. More than 250 million Android Go devices are currently active on a monthly basis. While this number pales in contrast to the 3 billion total active devices stated at I/O 2022, it indicates that the notion of a highly streamlined, more accessible Android OS is here to stay.