Android 13 Support
Google started releasing Android 13 to Pixel devices on August 15, 2022. In order to provide day 1 support for Android 13, Airship’s Mobile team released Android SDK 16.6.0 in June.
Google plans to roll out support for other Android device manufacturers later this year.
While Android 13 support was added in SDK 16.6.0, we recommend updating to the latest version.
Notification permissions
Android 13 brings a big update to notification permissions. Historically, Android has opted users in to notifications by default, and users can navigate to the operating system settings page to manage their permissions. With this release, Android requires user permission in order to send notifications, with notifications being opted out by default. Similar to other permissions like location or microphone access, apps on Android 13 must now serve a system prompt to collect notification permission from a user.
It’s important to note that when an app updates to Android 13, any user who was opted in to notifications previously will remain opted in, while new users will be asked to opt in.
Airship support
Airship Android SDK 16.6.0 added support for Android 13 (API 33). This includes support for the new system notification permission prompt as well as fallback prompt support on older API levels.
With this release, Airship’s push notification opt in button action will trigger the new system prompt on Android 13 as it does on iOS. While brands can choose to show only the system operating prompt, we encourage you to use ScenesA single or multi-screen in-app experience cached on users’ devices and displayed when users meet certain conditions in your app or website, such as viewing a particular screen or when a Custom Event occurs. They can be presented in fullscreen, modal, or embedded format using the default swipe/click mode or as a Story. Scenes can also contain survey questions. to create an onboarding flow, providing context and demonstrating the value of the app to the user before asking them to opt in.
User experience
Android is the most widely adopted operating system outside of the US. With this change, brands should expect an impact on notification opt-in rates. With the increased focus on putting control in the hands of the users, it is more important now than ever that brands think about their onboarding experience as well as the tools they are giving their users, such as Preference CenterA page where users can manage their opt-in statuses for the Subscription Lists in your project. Preference Centers are presented within your app or website or as an Airship-hosted web page., to determine what types of messaging and experiences they receive and where.
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