Android 12 - A First Look & Upcoming Changes

Ink

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Source: This could be Android 12, Google's next Android OS

Ahead of the stable release, Google shares documentation and source code with its major partners in order to give them time to prepare for the release. Today, an alleged early draft of a document that Google made to summarize changes in Android 12 leaked online, and screenshots showcasing the new UI and functional changes were extracted from the document. While we can’t fully confirm the authenticity of these screenshots, we have seen evidence that the document in question is, in fact, real, and furthermore that these screenshots indeed came from said document. With that in mind, here’s what we’re seeing right now.


According to a screenshot of the document we viewed, Google is also planning to mandate the inclusion of camera and microphone indicators in Android 12. These indicators must be shown prominently at the top of the screen, always be visible whenever the camera or microphone is being accessed, and must have the same color across the ecosystem. We don’t know what other changes will be mandated until we get our hands on the full Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) for Android 12.

Continue reading at source, or watch below.

 

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For Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, or Pixel 4 XL owners.

Note that if you follow these instructions, it will delete all of the data on your phone.
 

Ink

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Source: Android 12 has a hidden Gaming Toolbar that floats on your screen

Thanks to some reverse engineering, he managed to get Google’s hidden Gaming Dashboard feature working. It’s currently extremely barebones and only has a floating toolbar with two non-functional buttons, but it’s our first look at yet another unreleased Android 12 feature.

As you can see in the screenshot below, two icons are overlaid on top of the screen: A record icon and a controller icon.
The Gaming Dashboard classes are part of the com.google.android.systemui namespace rather than com.android.systemui, which suggests this feature may be Pixel-exclusive. However, many OEMs already have their own Gaming Mode features, and there’s nothing about this version that stands out right now.
 

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It’s been nearly 2 months since Google released the first Android 12 developer preview, and we’re expecting the third developer preview to drop at any moment. Thanks to leaks, extensive hands-ons, and code digging, we’ve learned a lot about the upcoming version of Google’s Android OS. Still, with each new release, we’re learning more and more, and today, I’m ready to share my findings from a hands-on preview of an unreleased version of Android 12.

This unreleased build was given to us by a source who wishes to remain anonymous.
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mlnevese

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I barely noticed the changes from Android 9 to Android 11 except for the change in notifications and permissions... I think when my phone installs Android 12 I'll not even notice...except for the size of the update :)
 
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CyberTech

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With Android 11, Google introduced a feature that would automatically revoke permissions of unused apps. Now with its next major upgrade in Android 12, Google may expand upon that feature and automatically hibernate those apps according to a report by XDA. Not only that but "temporary files", which probably indicate cache files, compilation artifacts and such, of those unused apps, might be removed to free storage space. Back in January, XDA had spotted a couple of new commits to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) Gerrit which hinted that developers were working on such a feature.

In this build that was tested by XDA, one has to enable the "Remove permissions and free up space" option in the "Unused apps" section. The option was present in the "App info" for every installed app. The images below from left to right show the steps.

 
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I barely noticed the changes from Android 9 to Android 11 except for the change in notifications and permissions... I think when my phone installs Android 12 I'll not even notice...except for the size of the update :)
Same, just a few months ago I got the Android 11 Update, and they already talking Android 12 update.

There been barely any differences between them, the feature pages for Android 11 in comparison to Android 10 were resumed in only 3 phone tabs, not impressed.
 

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silversurfer

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Android 12 new privacy feature lets you grant approximate location access to apps​

As Android 12 introduces approximate location options on your Android phone, a pretty significant change is coming for both users and developers. In the past, you were only able to allow a system-wide setting when granting access, and if you wanted to change an individual app’s location permission, it meant diving deep into your phone settings.

Apps that ask you to give permission to your location access get your precise location, which is usually accurate within a couple of meters. However, the approximate location changes this to a couple of hundred meters.

This ability to choose whether to set your app’s permission to precise or approximate location is another significant step towards improved privacy. Certain apps do not need to know your exact location, for example, shopping and even weather apps. These apps can still work effectively from an approximated location. However, there will still be certain apps such as Google Maps and Geocaching apps that will require a precise location to work effectively.
 

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Google is developing a new accessibility feature for Android that lets you control a phone using facial expressions like a smile or raised eyebrows, XDA Developers reports. The “Camera Switch” feature has arrived with version 12 of Android’s Accessibility Suite app, released alongside Android 12’s fourth beta. The new version of the app isn’t available via Google Play just yet, XDA reports, but there’s an APK to sideload if you want to give it a try.

According to XDA Developers, facial expressions (which also include looking left, right, or up) can be used to access a number of controls, ranging from scrolling, going home, or viewing quick settings or notifications. Screenshots show you can adjust how sensitive the software is when recognizing expressions, which should hopefully limit the potential for accidental activations. However, there’s also a warning that the feature can be power-intensive, and that phones should ideally be plugged in while it’s in use.
 

silversurfer

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Google has made considerable improvements to the adaptive charging feature, and users running Android 12 have reported that their phones are reaching 100% battery power much closer to their set alarms. Many users report that the battery reaches 100% between 30 and 90 minutes before their alarm goes off. Much closer than previously reported.

It is unclear exactly when Google started rolling out these improvements, as this feature is not as easily monitored as many other features. However, the improvements may have already been present even before the rollout of Android 12s latest beta. Most of the reports of a better adaptive charging experience were from Pixel users running the Android 12s beta version.
 

silversurfer

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This new support that Google Chrome is working on to support split-screen mode on Android 12 could be an excellent addition to help with multitasking.
This feature is available to test if you run Android 12 and Chrome beta, Dev, or Canary.
1629813047331.png
 

silversurfer

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Google has announced that it is pushing Android 12 to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which is slightly out of the ordinary because it usually does this on the day that a new OS becomes available for Google devices. As we know, this is not the case this time. Instead, Google has noted that Android 12 will be rolling out to Pixel devices in the "next few weeks", followed by devices manufactured by Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi. The firm went on to say that:
As always, thank you for your feedback during Android 12 Beta! More than 225,000 of you tested our early releases on Pixel and devices from our partners, and you sent us nearly 50,000 issue reports to help improve the quality of the release. We also appreciate the many articles, discussions, surveys, and in-person meetings where you voiced your thoughts, as well as the work you’ve done to make your apps compatible in time for today’s release. Your support and contributions are what make Android such a great platform for everyone.
 
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