Android 13 beta 2 replaces the media player, hides the squiggle lockscreen
- The scrubber on the progress bar is no longer a circle, but a long tablet that stands upright.
- The “Show media on lock screen” setting can be found in the Settings app or by long-pressing a running media player.
- Android 13 QPR1 beta 2 should become stable in December.
Today, Pixel phones are getting Android 13 QPR1 Beta 2, which continues to make changes to the user interface, especially for the media player.
The scrubber on the progress bar is no longer a circle, so it no longer looks like a sperm. It is now a long, thin tablet that rises upright.
The visual touch target is a bit too small, but it works well and solves the problems people have with the design.
It’s interesting that Google agreed to make the changes after the stable launch in August, but not when it was still in beta.
The “Show media on lock screen” setting can be found in the Settings app > Sound & vibrate > Media or by long-pressing a running media player. By default, it’s on, but if you turn it off, you can hide the card and see more notifications while audio is streaming.
Even when this setting is turned off and a song is playing, the long clock is only one line. As always, to access the player controls, you can swipe down.
In a related change, the “Sounds & Vibration” bottom sheet no longer opens when the volume is replaced with a physical rocker and the “Overflow” menu is tapped.
Instead, it is now in the middle, which makes me feel less like a part of the whole system.
With all these changes to the media player, Android 13 QPR1 should be stable in December. However, things may change after another preview next month.
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