The Android 12 is coming with new material design changes including personalised interface, security control shortcuts, privacy labels, and more. Google is expected to roll out the final version to the public between late September and the 1st week of October.
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Features and List of devices eligible for the latest Google mobile OS
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Android 12 is the upcoming 12th major release and 19th version of Android. Android 12 was announced in an Android blog posted on February 18, 2021. The first beta was released on May 18, 2021. Beta 5 is the last update before the official Android 12 release coming in the weeks ahead. The latest Android 12 Beta 5 update doesn't bring any major changes and mostly fixes bugs, which is expected considering how close we are to the public launch of the latest Android OS. According to a blog post by Android developers blog "We’re just a few weeks away from the official release of Android 12! As we put the finishing touches on the new version of Android". The Android 12 beta final update is currently available directly on Google’s Pixel phones starting from the Pixel 3 series through Pixel 5, while for other-branded Android devices, you need to download the Android 12 beta for your respective phones from the Google developer preview site.
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Personalization Features: According to a blog post by Google "Android 12 builds on everything you love about Android, and focuses on building a deeply personal phone that adapts to you". Android 12 has an entirely new design based on a system called “Material You,” featuring big, bubbly buttons, shifting colors, and smoother animations. When you change your wallpaper, you’ll have the option to automatically change your system colors as well. Using color extraction, you choose your wallpaper, and the system automatically determines which colors are dominant, which ones are complementary and which ones just look great. It then applies those colors across the entire OS which includes the notification shade, the lock screen, the volume controls, new widgets and much more.
Fluid motion and animations: Google's Android 12 will quickly respond to touch with smooth motion and animations. Google also simplified interactions and recrafted the entire underlying system to make Android 12 experience more fluid and efficient. The company also claims that with Android 12 the smartphones will become faster and more responsive. Google explains that this all was achieved by reducing the CPU time needed for core system services by up to 22% and reducing the use of big cores by the system server by up to 15%.
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System Spaces is redesigned: Important spaces on a phone like notification shade, quick settings and the power button also have been redesigned. The Quick Settings space is being rebuilt to include Google Pay and Home Controls, while still allowing for customization. The notification shade is more "intuitive and playful" than before. With Android 12 you can now long press the power button to invoke Assistant.
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Privacy features on Android 12: Android 12 includes new features that give you more transparency and control around which apps are accessing your data. The new Privacy Dashboard offers a single view into the permissions settings as well as what data is being accessed. One great privacy feature on Android 12 is that a new indicator on the top right of the status bar lets you know when an app is accessing your microphone or camera. There is also a new feature called Android Private Compute Core which allows to introduce new technologies that are private by design and to keep personal information safe, private and local to your phone. The protections in Private Compute Core are open source and fully inspectable and verifiable by the security community.
Third-party app store: Google said that it is also delivering on its promise to make third-party app stores easier to use on Android 12.
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Google Android 12 release date: Android 12 may be released on October 4th, according to an internal document shared by XDA Developers. October 4th is the date Google lists as the Android Open Source Project release of Android 12 in the document. XDA editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman in a tweet notes that these Android open source project release dates typically fall on the same day as the launch of a stable release of Android 12 for customers.
List of devices eligible for the latest Google Android 12 OS Update
Google devices: Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5, and Pixel 5a.
Samsung: Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G, S20 Ultra, S20+ 5G, S20+, S20 5G, S20 in addition to S10 5G, S10+, S10, S10e, S10 Lite, and upcoming S series devices. Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Note20 Ultra, Note20 5G, Note20, Note10+ 5G, Note10+, Note10 5G, Note10, Note10 Lite and upcoming Note series devices. Galaxy Z Fold2 5G, Z Fold2, Z Flip 5G, Z Flip, Fold 5G, Fold, and upcoming Z series devices. Galaxy A71 5G, A71, A51 5G, A51, A90 5G and select upcoming A series devices. Galaxy Tab S7+ 5G, Tab S7+, Tab S7 5G3, Tab S7, Tab S6 5G4, Tab S6, Tab S6 Lite, and upcoming Tab S series devices.
Nokia: Nokia XR 20 is confirmed. Some other expected devices are: Nokia 1.3, 2.4, 3.4, 5.3, 5.4, 8.3 5G, Nokia CO1 Plus, Nokia C20 Plus, Nokia G10, Nokia G20, Nokia X10, X20.
Xiaomi: Xiaomi- Mi 11, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11i and Mi 11X Pro are confirmed. Other expected devices are: Mi 11 Lite 4G, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G, Xiaomi 11T, 11T Pro, Redmi Note 10 series, Redmi 10 Prime, Redmi K20 series.
Oppo: Find X3 Pro
Oneplus: OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, Nord 2 are confirmed to get Android 12. Some other expected devices are: OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 8T, OnePlus Nord (1st Gen), OnePlus Nord CE.
Realme: Realme GT is confirmed to get Android 12 and some other expected devices are: Realme GT Master Edition, Realme 8S 5G, 8i.
Asus: Zenfone 8 is confirmed. Other expected devices are: Zenfone Flip, ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone 4 and more.