Google surprised us today by announcing Android 12L, a version of Android 12 better adapted for devices with a large screen such as folding phones, tablets or Chromebooks. The Android 12L Developer Preview can be tested now and we have tested it, with the help of the Android Studio emulator, the only way to do it for now.
Android 12L is basically “Android 12 with things”, these things being optimizations so that the applications and the system take better advantage of the extra space of the devices with a larger screen. We tell you what’s so special about Android 12L in this first Developer Preview
Android 12 with things on top
We have tested Android 12L on a Pixel C virtual device, as recommended by Google. The 2015 Pixel C is indeed a device with a large screen, 10.2 inches to be exact. On this screen, vertically, Android 12L is basically the same as Android 12, but bigger.
Android 12L is 99% Android 12 with a few minor changes, at least for now
Internally, the system identifies the Android version as Sv2 or “second version of Android S”. At the moment it has no numbering, which is usual in the first Developer Preview. There is still a possibility that its numerical version ends up being Android 12.1, as the first rumors speculated. The API version is 31 at the moment (the same as Android 12), although this could change later when the Android 12L APIs are finalized.
The notification panel behaves the same vertically as in Android 12 – that is, it is not divided into two columns – although other optimizations are available. On the lock screen, the keyboard for entering the PIN is shown in one corner instead of centered. If that side doesn’t suit you, tapping on the opposite side moves it there.
Based on the AOSP Launcher, it is difficult to appreciate the “magic” of Android 12L, as this launcher has the basics and possibly Google has not bothered too much to adapt it for Android 12L. In this way, icons are relatively small for the spacing between them, which also cannot be adjusted in the options.
That is, in a space where about ten icons could easily fit, the maximum you can add is five. East extreme spacing it also applies in the application drawer, although not in the dock, which we will talk about later. However, as we mentioned before, the launcher that actually comes on devices with Android 12L will almost certainly be better adapted.
Taskbar and split screen
One of the stars of Android 12L is the taskbar, which is available both vertically and horizontally. It comes to be something like an evolution of the dock. In fact, it is indistinguishable from the dock until you open an application. It supports five icons, although the Google presentation screenshots showed six.
The Taskbar (or Favorites Bar, as Google calls it) is something of an evolution of the old dock
Its utility is twofold: on the one hand, it is a way of always have your header applications at hand, without the need to return to the home screen. On the other hand, it is possibly the most intuitive way to activate the split screen mode in the history of Android.
This mode is as simple as making a long tap on one of the apps from the taskbar and slide it to the side of the screen. With the device vertically, you can choose between up and down; with the mobile horizontally, left or right. A highlight is displayed before releasing the icon indicating how much space the window will occupy, similar to how it works in Windows.
Horizontally behaves basically the same, except for the fact that the screen is divided into the left and right region. If you are using the horizontal split screen and you change the orientation of the device, the vertical split screen remains. It is possible to move the slider to change the size that each application occupies and the result is smoother than in other versions of Android.
Android 12L launches a different way to open applications in split screen, from the Recent view, which also modifies its appearance. This view shows the last application you opened in large size, while the other previews are smaller.
The Recent view shows the current app large and the rest small. From here it is also possible to easily start the split screen
Featured prominently in this large preview is the Split button, which has been hidden there for a long time, but never so accessible. When you click on it, the recent view becomes a selector for you to choose the second application, where it is quite convenient that the other previews are smaller.
Two column interface
Probably the most characteristic change of Android 12L is the two-column interface, available on some occasions. For example, when displaying the notification panel, the quick settings are displayed on the right and notifications on the right.
The two-column interface appears only in the notification panel for now
At the moment, this interface in two columns it is hardly used in other sections of the system. The settings are still displayed in a column and none of the pre-installed applications change their interface beyond how they would adapt it to a tablet.
A curious change in Android 12L is hidden in the system settings, in the gestures section. It is here possible to customize how long to press and hold the home button before the long press function (which is usually talking to the Assistant) is activated.
There are five intermediate steps ranging from “Short” to “Long” which, although not too specific, previous leaks told us that they consist of an interval that goes from 250 to 750 milliseconds.
For the moment, other changes don’t seem to be available yet in the emulated image of Android 12L or respond correctly to the emulator, as the most satisfactory way in which some applications respond to the folding or unfolding of a folding mobile. Being a first Developer Preview, it is to be expected that these changes will arrive later in future versions.