The most important new features in Android 12

Android 12 is Google’s latest version of the operating system. It is currently under development and is being tested in various betas. We also constantly receive new information about the innovations in Android 12 via the betas. TECHNOLOGY BUTTON summarizes them.

Probably in late summer or early autumn, Google will officially introduce Android 12. Until then, the betas will tell us the first changes. However, it should be noted that not all functions necessarily make it into the final version of Android 12.

Android 12 Beta now available for download

Google is again cooperating with smartphone manufacturers this year to make the beta version of Android 12 available on more devices. Here is the official list of smartphones that qualify for the beta version:

• Asus: ZenFone 8
• Google: Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5
• OnePlus: 9, 9 Pro
• Oppo: Find X3 Pro
• Realme: GT (China only)
• Sharp: Aquos R6
• Tecno: Camon 17
• TCL: 20 Pro 5G
• Vivo: iQOO 7 Legend
• Xiaomi: Mi 11, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11i / Mi 11X Pro
• ZTE: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G (China only)

The second beta is currently available for testers to download. Google has set up a website especially for this .

The innovations in Android 12

More control over privacy and data protection

The second beta of Android 12 brings among other things the privacy overview (privacy dashboard) already announced on Google I / O. This shows how often and for how long apps – including Google’s own – have accessed the smartphone sensors (GPS, microphone, camera, etc.). From the overview, you can switch directly to the app authorizations in order to withdraw access to certain sensors from an app.

Android 12 also copies the colored indicators from iOS 14 that appear when an app accesses the camera or microphone. But Google even goes a step further. There are now shortcuts in the notification bar with which you can revoke access to the microphone or camera from all apps with one click.

More intuitive connection overview

For a better overview of the network connections, Google has adjusted the display in the status bar, the quick settings and the settings. The new Internet panel should ensure that users can switch between their Internet providers more quickly in the future and that problems with the network connection can be solved more easily.

Personalized surface and dynamic design

The screen elements in Android 12 are generally larger and have very fluid and dynamic animations. For example, the lock screen animation is different depending on how you woke up the smartphone.

The bar at the top of the screen has completely disappeared. Android has been suffering from confusing symbols in the bar that represent various notifications for a long time. Android 12 is apparently supposed to do away with that. Instead of individual symbols, only a number is displayed showing how many notifications are still unread. The number is placed in an oval at the top left next to the time. The oval also remains on the lock screen, but again with icons that differentiate between things like calling, texting, and more.

Overall, Android 12 looks much smoother and more dynamic than previous Android versions. Different elements of the surface can be merged with one another or merge seamlessly into one another – almost as if from one piece. The new color scheme with subtle pastel colors does the rest. After little has changed recently in terms of optics and operation, Android 12 seems to be indicating a completely new direction in these matters. Despite the smoother animations, Google was apparently able to reduce the CPU load. In the best case, this can mean better performance and, above all, less battery consumption.

New notification and control center

There’s also a new media playback control, and for the first time since Android 4.2 Jellybean, Google has changed the look of the brightness slider. There are also new buttons for WiFi and Bluetooth. One of the most important innovations, however, is certainly the “stacked notifications” – literally “stacked notifications”. With a swiping gesture, individual elements can be grouped together to make the notification bar clearer.

New camera algorithm

A new machine learning algorithm has been developed for the camera that automatically adjusts the white balance to accurately display darker skin tones. Especially in poor lighting conditions, dark areas appear completely black, so that faces are sometimes not recognizable. The new camera technology should ensure that skin tones are retained – without overexposing lighter areas.

More compact widgets

Android 12 may also bring us some new widgets that are more compact than before. In particular, the screenshots show a new notification widget that shows information on current news, missed calls or the activity status of chat partners. The widget shown is just big enough to display a message, a call or a status at a time.

Better integration of alternative app stores

With Android 12, Google plans to further loosen up the handling of alternative app stores, which should make it easier for developers and Android users to access the platforms. The company has already detailed the project in the Google Developers Blogdescribed. Android has always been an open source software that is open to all developers. In autumn 2020, however, there were complaints from them about Google’s billing model. If developers market their apps in the Play Store, Google keeps part of the income from app purchases and in-app purchases. With the further opening of alternative app stores, Google wants to give developers the ability to more easily find alternative marketing opportunities if they do not agree with the company’s guidelines. This means that users can access apps even if they are not offered in the Play Store.

Apps in sleep mode

Many Android apps consume resources on the smartphone even when they are not actively used. A new feature in Android 12 should put an end to this. According to ” XDA Developers“Google is apparently planning a sleep mode in its upcoming firmware. Not much is known about the function so far. It is currently unclear whether the apps are automatically shut down when they are not used for a long time or whether users have to actively activate the mode for certain applications. In any case, it seems certain that the app sleep mode is primarily used to save storage space. This happens on the one hand by compressing storage packages and on the other hand by automatically deleting the cache files of an app. This should be particularly noticeable with streaming apps or games, which sometimes take up a lot of cache.

Improved split screen

Google integrates Nearby Share into Android 12

In Android 12, Google apparently wants to integrate a function that already exists. This is a Nearby Share, which smartphone users can use to share their WiFi password. Entering a password or creating a QR code (current solution in Android 10 and 11) is no longer necessary. A user releases his WLAN with simple clicks so that users in the immediate vicinity can dial in. Only the nearby share connection has to be approved by both users, which secures the connection.

The update schedule for Android 12

The currently available beta is just one of a series. Before the release there should be a total of four beta versions of the new firmware. The last of these should already be stable, so that the finished version can appear in autumn 2021.

Google has made its update schedule for Android 12 clear in a timeline. What is noticeable here is the rather large gap between the release candidate in August and the official update. In the past, Google mostly rolled out the final version from September. We can currently only speculate whether the larger gap may indicate a later rollout – for example in October.

Smartphones that should receive the update

When Google starts rolling out Android 12 in a few months, the manufacturer will certainly supply its own Pixel smartphones first. But the devices from OnePlus and Xiaomi are also hot candidates for a quick Android update right after the release. This is what manufacturers have done at least last year. Manufacturers usually promise new firmware versions for two years. However, some manufacturers such as Google itself and Samsung have now extended their update period to three years. So anyone who has currently bought a new smartphone in the middle or upper category will most likely get Android 12. With their entry-level models, however, the manufacturers often proceed differently, so that Android updates that will be available in the future are not so easy to foresee.

The more unadjusted a manufacturer’s smartphone user interface, the fewer adjustments he has to make to the system and the faster he can provide the updates. Big names like Samsung, LG, Sony and Co. have so far not been among the manufacturers who are known for their quick updates.