Android 13 QPR1: Rotate button gets easier to tap

Abner Li | Sep 12 2022 - 12:01 am PT

For the past several versions, Android has let you quickly rotate with a shortcut that appears at the corner of the screen. Android 13 QPR1 makes the smallest of tweaks by making the rotate button bigger.

As seen in the screenshots below, Android 13 QPR1 (at the right) makes the bottom-left rotate button bigger and therefore easier to tap. The size of the rectangular rotate icon is unchanged, while the circle is nearly the size of an app.

This button was first introduced in Android 9 Pie and placed at the right side of the three-button navigation bar. Google introduced this floating button with Android 10’s switch to gesture navigation, while Android 12 introduced smart, camera-based rotation on Pixel phones.

Third-party OEM Android devices will definitely benefit from this size increase, with Samsung’s button on tablets being particularly hard to notice.

As of Beta 1, Android 13 QPR1 does not have too many other visual tweaks. The other minor one is how Quick Settings tiles now include delightful animations. Unified Pixel Launcher search is looking to be the biggest change when QPR1 enters stable in December.