Google Android 13 DP2 brings new app drawer to taskbar

Google has initially thought of tablets as ambitious, all of this stopped a few years ago. With Android 12L, the company has made it clear that tablets are now back in focus. As mentioned in the second developer preview (DP2), this trend could continue with Android 13. The app drawer icon is back on Android 13.

According to Mishal Rahman, the traditional taskbar that comes with Android 12L is getting another upgrade. Android 13 DP2 has introduced a new app drawer shortcut to quickly pull up all installed apps. However, the app drawer icon only appears when the DPI level is higher than 600.

Surprisingly, the app drawer icon only appears when the user is running the app. It disappears when the user returns to the home screen. The screenshots provided by Rahman show the new app drawer when you open the Settings app.

This feature significantly enhances multi-tasking on the big screen, allowing users to access all of their apps without any hassle, even when they are in the app. It’s a relatively simple addition to the Android 13 DP2, and we hope to make a final cut with a consistent release this fall.

In addition to this new addition to the larger screens, Android 13 DP2 is also making changes to provide more information about the app’s battery usage. While this is not a new feature on Android, it improves the way Google notifications are sent, allowing users to take the best possible action.

Android 13 DP2 also offers non-Latin scripts, new text conversion APIs, Japanese text wrapping, as well as modified line heights for built-in support for Bluetooth LE audio. This will give us a better idea of ​​the more important additions from the first Android 13 beta.