Android 12 is here! Google releases a major software update each year to its android mobile operating system. In 2020, it released Android 11. In 2021, it’s announced Android 12 and is now available in the form of a developer preview. With this initial build, users can now install the OS on compatible devices. Google is improving and presenting a host of features in its most recent iteration of Android. Changes to media handling and notification support, improvements to privacy and haptic feedback and more polished notification UI all make the cut. Let’s see the major confirmed features of Android 12.
In Android 11, if you want to share your current Wi-Fi connection with anybody, you can create a QR code easily. But in Android 12, you can avoid barcode scanning and just click the “Nearby” button you can below the QR code. This will use Android’s Nearby Share feature to transmit the Wi-Fi credentials to whom you like. While scanning the QR code is quite simple, this new feature allows you to share the connection data to multiple individuals without handling your phone around for everyone to scan. That is certainly more helpful!
With a Pixel device, if you capture a screenshot, you can markup that shot with paintbrush-like tools. With Android 12, you can add text, Emoji and stickers to your screenshots using the same tool. This is not a big change but, it may prevent users from needing a third-party app to do the same thing.
Android 12 is adding support for SameSite cookie behaviors to WebView. The SameSite feature enables developers to announce in the case a cookie must be restricted to a specific site. This inclusion must enhance the cookie management of Android 12 across various applications and OS. The top Android browsers already support this feature.
Android 12 launches AVIF image support. It is an image format that promises improved image quality over JPEG without penalty for larger file sizes. The format uses open-source video codec AV1, that was first introduced to Android 10.
Though HEVC is growing in popularity, the video compression standard is not supported by all apps. Now, Google is ready to introduce a transcoding layer to Android 12 that will pet unsupported apps to take advantage of video compression. Video capture apps that don’t support HEVC can now request Android 12 to transcode that file in AVC – a more available video compression format. Google
Google noticed that this is a stop-gap solution and urges developers to include HEVC support for their applications. This feature’s performance is dependent on a device’s processing power. For example, a one-minute 1080p video takes nine seconds to transcode on Pixel 4, proposing that it may not be appropriate for spending gadgets. Considering all things, the element will be accessible for all Android 12 gadgets with video capture capabilities.
Google is allowing developers to mate haptic feedback patterns with audio in Android 12. Duration and strength of vibrations are taken from audio cues, that adds more engaging layer to media playback or alerts. For instance, a video calling app could use custom ringtones to identify caller with haptic feedback, or you could simulate rough terrain in a racing game,” explains Google.
Notification system of Android 12 will be redesigned to enhance usability, functionality and aesthetics. Google is changing controls and drawers and rebuilding animations and transitions. Also, it has targeted responsiveness. Android 12 will get developers to get rid of transpolines, middle-man broadcast services or receivers. Trampolines bounce users from notification to application. Google needs notification buttons to take users directly to the app itself in Android 12. Also the company is delaying some foreground service notifications’ display by till 10 seconds. This will provide short tasks a comprehensive window to complete before knocking the user.
Google is offering users more control over rich media through the keyboard, clipboard and drag and drop. New API will allow users to insert and move media from any of these sources. Supported formats will include “plain and styled text to markup, images, videos, audio files and so on per Google. For users, it should rapidly process file sharing or styled text to other or across apps.
Google could be attempting to bring a double tap gesture to Pixel phones with Android 12. By giving a quick double tap to the phone’s back, can invoke Google assistant but it can be configured for other actions also, like taking a screenshot, pause/resume media playback, open notification shade and open the recent apps view. Double-tap gesture was first spotted last year as a potential android 11 feature. It was rumoured to supplant the “Active Edge” squeeze gesture, however it won’t ever materialise. Google is working to revive the feature, codenamed Columbus, for Pixel phones.
Android Runtime (ART) will be included to Project Mainline – Google’s Play system updates program. This will allow the updates of form push key to ART and other necessary Android 12 services through Google Play, avoiding the necessity for system updates to change these features. Google also notes that more module updates will be pushed through Project Mainline in the near future, including its transcoding improvements.
Google launched the permission handling feature which is helpful in case you want to stay alert about how applications use your mobile’s sensors and other accesses also. Now, with Android 12, the permissions dialog box needs a shortcut for always allowing access in settings.
Detected by Android Police, Google is now giving Pixel 5 users an option to hide the punch hole in Android 12. When setting is enabled in the Developer menu, the selfie camera is hidden by black bar. Status bar will also be displayed in this bar.
Simplifying the test opt-in transformations for android developers that can impact their apps, Google has made most of them toggleable. By the use of toggles, developers can forcefully enable and disable the changes separately from adb or Developer options.
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