Every year a new version of mobile operating systems plays and, now, it seems that Android will have a deep revision both in terms of functions and aesthetics.
There is a lot of desire to see the final version of Android 12, since practically every week system options that are hidden are being filtered and that some developers and ‘leakers’ are discovering, but the most important ones are already known.
And, so that you have all the information in a single space, below We tell you everything you need to know about Android 12.
Material You more ‘You’ than ever
The design is radically different And, in fact, it’s the most in-depth review Google has made of its interface in recent years. It is based on Material You, a language that intends for users to influence the design of the interface.
This basically means that depending on the wallpaper that we put, the system will adopt different colors and tones. For some it will not be a big change, but for others it will be pleasant. I have to say that it is something that I like a lot in the weeks that I have been with Android 12.
There are new animations, new grid on main screen, the always-on screen also has a different design with a huge clock when we do not have notifications and something smaller when we do receive messages, we have new transitions, shadows on the icons to make them more three-dimensional and the Quick Tiles.
This changes the shortcuts in the settings bar from being circular and small to increasing in size and being rectangular, displaying more information.
In fact, it gives the feeling that everything is bigger And it’s something that has been inspired by Samsung’s OneUI. This has been done to improve accessibility and one-handed control.
Quick mosaic with home automation and Google Pay
Speaking of mosaics or Quick Tiles, beyond the redesign, the functions are the same. We have more information, yes, but the operation is still one-touch to activate or deactivate or a long press to go to settings.
However, it integrates two important novelties. On the one hand a home automation button which takes us to the smart device settings that we have in Google Home to turn the lights on or off, for example.
Secondly, We no longer have Google Pay on the side button, but in one of those boxes. In my opinion you lose some speed when paying, but hey, it is also true that all the integral functions of the system are collected in the same place.
New notifications
As we can see, the notification and access drawer has been redesigned and we have a new way of interacting with notifications.
If we click on them, we will go directly to the application, even from the lock screen, a much easier way to access what is attracting our attention.
In addition, we will have more control over pop-up notifications and their repetition.
Updated widgets
It seems that Google is going to take widgets a little more seriously and they are developing their own weather widget, but in addition to their own developments, we have a new menu in which we see the widgets differently.
The organization has improved and now we are going to have different categories separated more clearly, and not all together as before.
The Good Samaritan of Wi-Fi
In addition to sharing our Wi-Fi through an easy-to-distribute QR, In Android 12 we will have an action called ‘Nearby’ to transfer the credentials of our network to a device that is next to ours.
The two options are really easy to use, but now it will not be necessary for those who are with us to scan a QR code on our screen.
You will know if the camera or the mike is on
One of the security features of iOS 15 was the warning light that appears in the upper left corner and tells you if there is an app using the camera or microphone.
We will be able to see that in Android 12 and, in addition, we will be able to manage access to both the camera and the microphone at all times.
From the mosaic we will be able to revoke or grant access to these elements and, if we deactivate it, when we enter an app that uses the camera, we will get the warning that “this function is blocked”.
This is a sample of the privacy and security options that Google will implement with Android 12 so that apps know less about us, at least if we want to.
AppSearch, a vitamin search engine
AppSearch is the new search engine for Android 12, a much more powerful one capable of being more effective when it comes to finding specific files within an app.
According to Google, contains an API to index data and retrieve it using full-text search. Applications will be able to use AppSearch to offer custom search capabilities in the application, allowing users to search for content even without a network connection.
A practical example would be a song.
One hand mode, it was about time
One-handed mode is another novelty. It is something that was present in practically all the layers of customization and in iOS and that reaches Android 12 in a curious way.
And, after activating the option, what we have to do is touch in the lower central part of the screen and slide down so that the screen moves in that direction.
It is not that the interface adapts and becomes smaller, but that everything goes down so that we can reach the higher options.
It does not seem like something made to control the mobile like that, but simply a resource when we cannot cover the screen with our finger at a given moment.
The double tap disappeared in Android 11
With iOS 15 we saw the quick actions of the back touch to open applications and it is something that was developed for Android 11, but that was left out.
With Android 12 this will be recovered to open applications, for example, such as the camera more quickly.
AVIF images and HEVC videos
And, speaking of the camera, the new compression formats for both images and videos arrive.
The system features support for AVIF, a compressed image format that promises higher image quality than JPEG.
In addition, we will also see HEVC videos in the system and a transcoding engine so that apps that are not compatible with this format can see the content.
Game enhancements
Devices with haptic systems and surround sound seem to also have improvements when playing.
It is something that is a bit fuzzy, but Google tells us about a different vibration for each incoming call, which would allow us to recognize the caller only by vibration, or a system so that in a car game we notice more the road or a more rugged terrain.
In any case, it will have to be the app developers who take advantage of this.
Use your mobile as a car key
If you are one of those who thinks that the mobile phone should be the DNI, the passport, the wallet, the Carrefour card and the car key, surely this will make you happy.
And it is that, Android 12 will have, in mobile phones compatible with ultra wide band, the option to open the car as if we had an NFC key.
You just have to bring the car closer to the lock … and that’s it. At the moment, only Volvo and BMW have confirmed this option, but surely more will be added in the future.
Performance optimization
And, in the end, they are going to do a series of improvements in how the system communicates with the hardware to reduce CPU consumption for certain tasks, something that can be great for less powerful devices.
Surely there will be more features hidden in the system, since with each new beta update options have been found, but the ones that we have presented are, more or less, all the main ones.
Now we just have to wait for the new Pixel 6, the official update for the Pixel and, obviously, the update program of the different companies.
The latter always drives us a little crazy, but it seems that Google could implement a system of system updates that are distributed through the Play Store and not via OTA as before, which could speed up the process.
We will see, but of course, Android 12 is going to change a lot of things and we are looking forward to testing the final version.