One of the more interesting upcoming features of Android 12, teased in leaked mockups, is “People Space” which puts your friends and family on your home screen. With the second pre-release of Android 12, this People Space widget has begun to take shape.
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Google is working on a “game dashboard” for Android 12 — perhaps exclusive to Pixel phones — that adds useful controls and info like a frames-per-second counter, easy capture options, and a YouTube streaming shortcut.
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Google Assistant is the focus for any type of search on Android nowadays, especially on Pixel. However, it appears Google is set to make device search a bit easier on your launcher with a new bar that could debut in Android 12.
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The second preview of Android 12 has arrived today, and with it, Google is introducing a variety of changes to the picture-in-picture experience to make it feel faster, easier to use, and out of the way when you need it to be.
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Later preview releases are widely expected to bring a big visual overhaul to Android 12. Until then, Android 12 DP2 today sees Google redesign the widget list and make tweaks to the lockscreen when entering your PIN.
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Google added the handy ability to quickly share WiFi passwords in Android 10, and in Android 12, the feature is changing. With Android 12 Developer Preview 2, the UI for WiFi sharing is always in light mode.
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As we detailed last month, Android 12 is preparing to add a new one-handed mode. It wasn’t live in the first developer preview, but in DP2, it’s live and fully working.
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The next version of Android will remain focussed on developers until the first beta launches in May. With that in mind, we’re diving into today’s release of Android 12 DP2 to find all the new features.
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Dark theme was the biggest feature in Android 10, and on Pixel, it adopted a true black theme to AMOLED-lover’s delight. Now, in the second preview of Android 12, Google is making its dark theme even lighter than it was in the first preview.
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The next release of Android 12 is here with Developer Preview 2 (DP2) rolling out to Pixel phones today. It follows the DP1.1 patch released at the start of this month, and offers a number of new features for developers to use in their apps.
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Following the first release last month, Android 12 Developer Preview 1.1 is rolling out to address some bugs and early issues found by app developers.
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With the first Android 12 Developer Preview, a massive redesign of the Settings app was discovered, pointing to a revamp of Google’s Material Design. Let’s take an exploratory look at what some of Google’s other Android apps could look like with these next generation Material Design cues.
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Every year, a new version of Android arrives, and with it, usually a bunch of new features and behind-the-scenes changes. This year, with the launch of the first Android 12 Developer Preview, we also saw the first time the release was accompanied by previews for Android TV and Google TV. That’s cause for excitement in itself, but the updates themselves don’t really have that much to offer.
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Way ahead of what anyone expected, Google debuted the first preview for Android TV 12 last week right alongside builds for smartphones and tablets. Frustratingly, though, a glitch is preventing developers from flashing Android 12 preview builds on ADT-3.
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Since the Pixel 3a, it’s been possible to use a physical SIM card and eSIM simultaneously. However, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 does not currently support 5G networks, though that’s changing with Android 12.
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As we reported ahead of the first developer preview’s release, one of the big new features coming to Android 12 is advanced theming features. While these new options aren’t live in the first developer preview, one clever developer was able to give us a first look at the new theme tool coming to Android 12.
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One feature we reported would be coming with Android 12 is One-handed mode, which shrinks your phone to be more accessible with your thumb. Here’s our first look at One-handed mode in action on Android 12 Developer Preview 1.
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Our latest discovery in Android 12 shows that Google is working on a significant redesign of the lockscreen, including a much larger clock.
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Navigation gestures in Android 10 and beyond have been controversial from day one, and years after it started, Google is still tweaking the formula. In Android 12, navigation gestures now work instantly if you’re using a fullscreen app.
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Google added a useful photo editor to Android 11 designed for editing screenshots, but in Android 12, it’s getting an expansion. Now, in Android 12, you can use the Markup tool to edit any photo.
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Android 12 makes a couple of tweaks to accessibility features, such as adding a new quick toggle for reducing screen brightness. Another adjustment made with Android 12 is to the long-available magnification feature that now has the ability to zero in on a specific portion of the display.
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Google has delivered quite a lot of new features in Android 12’s first developer preview, and we’re still finding everything that’s hiding beneath the surface. One tweak you don’t have to dive far to find, though, is a new “Reduce Bright Colors” button in Android 12.
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The current Made by Google lineup is visually defined by a front-facing camera in the top-left corner of the screen. You get used to it over time, but those bothered by the Pixel 5 hole punch can now hide it on Android 12.
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Android 12 Developer Preview 1 released earlier today, and deep within, we’ve found the beginnings of an “Automatic” option that lets Android decide whether or not a notification is important enough to alert by ringing and/or vibrating your phone.
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