Android 13 DP1 is here, but taking into account prior leaks and Android 12L, the changes so far are pretty small. Deeper diving may yet reveal more information, but one curiosity has already reared its head: a new "Camera Obfuscator" app pre-installed in Android 13 DP1 for some devices, including the Pixel 6.

We don't know all of what the app is supposed to do, but it appears to be intended for internal Google use when sharing "simple photos only" (emphasis Google's) with friends and family from "2017 or later" devices. A link with more information points at an internal Google intranet page we can't access, but the name is clear — if you don't know, to "obfuscate" is "to make (something) more difficult to understand," according to Merriam Webster, and so this app is doing something to hide camera details.

The app does describe its workflow, being able to either open images itself or receive an intent for a shared image and then "obfuscate" it, with a fast flash of a progress bar that says "obfuscating image." In my own testing, that means removing all metadata from the image, but changes could run deeper — JPEGs are now containers for all sorts of other data, and this could be intended to strip out other information from camera testing Google is doing as well.

The app isn't included in all Android 13 DP1 images. We have confirmed that it's present on the Pixel 6 but not on a Pixel 4 or Pixel 4a 5G. Its inclusion was likely accidental. Though we've reached out to Google for more information, it's not likely the company will have much else to offer. But, this could be an indication that we're going to see some camera changes coming to Google's Pixels — big enough changes, presumably, that Google's worried about them being accidentally leaked.

The app is likely not tied to Android 13 itself even if this is the first time we've seen it. Mishaal Rahman tells us it's been in use internally previously, but that it doesn't usually ship in production builds.

For more Android 13 information, keep up with our ongoing Android 13 coverage.