Android 13’s most obvious UI change is a redesign of the lock screen and notification media player. However, not all music, podcasts, and audio apps have yet been updated to support them, and here’s our running list of controls that have been modernized.
Android 13’s media controls start with a new, larger size than Android 12. (There’s a compact version, but only in landscape mode.) acts as a rectangular crop instead of showing the full square artwork, as before.
The icon of the responsible application appears in the upper left corner, while the device output selector remains in front. The song/podcast name and artist then appear in the lines below.
On apps that have been optimized for (or target) Android 13, the play/pause button (which changes from a circle to a rounded square, and vice versa, on touch) appears on the right edge. It’s a delightful touch that’s followed by the absolutely whimsical progress bar that wiggles to note what you’ve already listened to.
Android 12 vs 13
Apps that aren’t updated to Android 13 still have the squiggle, but the bottom row is very crowded because each button is on a single row. The progress bar is on the far left with up to five actions appearing. New apps flank this line with next/previous or forward/back, while remaining actions are displayed to the right.
Since Android 13 launched this week, very few major apps have been updated, but there are a handful of first-party customers where you can experience the new player.
Optimized for Android 13:
Apps that haven’t been updated:
- (Google Pixel) Recorder: Transcript playback generates system audio player, but most people just interact with app controls/UI
- Google Play Books
- Apple Music
- Spotify
- SoundCloud
- Tide
- pandora
old vs new
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