Recently, Google just released the beta version of Android 12. "Android 12 is built on everything you love about Android, and focuses on building a highly personalized phone that adapts to you, developing an operating system that's secure by default and private by design, and making all of your devices work better together," said a statement quoted from the official Google Blog page.
Here's a list of the latest Android 12 features:
A More personal experience
Android 12 includes the biggest design change in Android history. We rethink the whole experience, from color to form, light and movement. The result is that Android 12 is more expressive, dynamic, and personal than ever before.
Personalization
Starting with Android 12 on Google Pixel devices, you'll be able to completely personalize your phone with custom color palettes and redesigned widgets. Using what we call color extraction, you choose a wallpaper, and the system automatically determines which colors are dominant, which complements and which look good. It then applies those colors throughout the OS: notification shade, lock screen, volume controls, new widgets, and more.
This work is done in deep collaboration between our software, hardware, and Material Design teams. We unite our software and hardware ecosystems under one design language called Material You.
Smoother motion and animation.
When you use an Android 12 device, you will feel how it comes to life with every tap, swipe, and scroll. Your phone quickly responds to your touch with smooth motion and animation. For example, when you dismiss a notification on the lock screen, your watch will appear larger so you know when you're ready.
We've also simplified interactions and redesigned the entire underlying system to make your experience smoother and more efficient. Your Android device is now faster and more responsive with better power efficiency, so you can use it longer at no cost. This is achieved by several hidden improvements, including reducing the CPU time required for core system services by up to 22% and reducing the usage of large cores by system servers by up to 15%.
Redesigned system space.
Some of the most important spaces on your phone-like the notification shade, quick settings, and even the power button-have been intentionally redesigned to help you get things done. The Notification shade is more intuitive and fun, with a quick view of your app notifications, whatever you're listening to or watching, and Quick Settings that let you practically control the entire operating system with a swipe and a single tap.
The Quick Settings room doesn't just look and feel different. It's been rebuilt to include Google Pay and Home Control, while still allowing customization, so you can have everything you need most in one easy-to-access place.
To make sure you always have help from Google at your fingertips, you can now long press the power button to summon the Assistant to make a phone call, open an app, ask a question, or read a text-heavy article.
Safety
Android 12 includes new features that give you more transparency about which apps access your data, and more control so you can make informed choices about how much private information your apps have access to. The new Privacy Dashboard offers a single view into your permission settings as well as what data is being accessed, how often, and by which apps. It also lets you easily revoke app permissions directly from the dashboard.
The developers have added a new indicator at the top right of your status bar so you know when your app is accessing your microphone or camera. And if you want to remove app access to these sensors system-wide, the developers have also added two new toggles in Quick Settings.
The developer also gives you more control over how much information you share with the app. With the new approximate location permission, apps can be limited to only seeing your approximate location, not your exact location. For example, weather apps don't need your accurate location to offer accurate weather forecasts.
Beyond these new privacy features in Android 12, the developers are also building privacy protections right into the OS. There are more opportunities than ever to use AI to create useful new features, but these features have to be paired with strong privacy. That's why this release also introduces Android Private Compute Core. This allows us to introduce new technologies that are private by design, to keep your personal information secure, private and local to your phone.
The Private Compute Core enables features like Live Caption, Now Playing, and Smart Reply. All audio and language processing happens on the device, isolated from the network to maintain your privacy. Like the rest of Android, the protections in Private Compute Core are open source and can be fully vetted and verified by the security community. More features are coming later this year, and developers will continue to push boundaries and find ways to maintain the highest standards of privacy, security, and safety.
More features
Android 12 is packed with other useful experiences, such as improved accessibility features for people with visual impairments, scrolling screenshots, a conversation widget that brings your favorite people to the home screen, and ways for all your devices to work together better. Developers will also fulfill their promise to make third-party app stores easier to use on Android 12. You can find many of these features today on the Android 12 Beta, available on the Google Pixel and other devices.
