The rest of the week will be busy for Google and the whole Android community. The Google I/O 2021 has started earlier today and we have heard a lot of new things to expect from the tech giant. The opening keynote introduced us to numerous products and services from the company. Right now, we’ll focus our attention on Android 12. We have seen the developer preview versions and as expected, the first Beta release is now ready and as per the Android team it’s “designed for you”.
Android & Google Play’s VP of Product Management, Sameer Samat, said “Android 12 builds on everything you love about Android”. The new version brings more customization features. Android has always been about personalization but Android 12 takes it to the next level so you can have something something that is truly yours.
Android as an open ecosystem provides consumers choices. That is why there are now over three billion active Android devices in the world. With Android 12, most of your mobile devices can work together in a more efficient way that is also private and secure for everyone.
Android 12 Beta 1 is ready. Remember that it still is a beta build so you can expect a lot of bugs and issues. As per the Android team, this version delivers a “more personal experience”. It’s also perhaps the “biggest design change in Android’s history” so that’s something to look forward to. Android 12 is more personal, more dynamic, and more expressive. Many things have been rethought of from light and motion to the colors to the shapes and more.
Expect big changes in different areas of Android like personalization, fluid motion and animations, system spaces, and privacy and security. These new features and enhancements will be available first on the latest Pixel phones.
Some new changes to personalization options include redesigned widget, custom color palette, and color extraction. Material Design is being improved. Material You is a new design language being introduced in Android 12.
Redesigned system spaces can also be expected. With Android 12, devices can be more responsive, faster, and more efficient especially when it comes to battery life. CPU time is reduced up to 22% and usage of big cores up to 15%. Other changes that will be noticeable are those on the quick settings, power button, and notification shade. The Quick Settings now include Google Pay and Home Control.
More Android 12 Beta 1 Features
Motion and animations are more fluid now. Everything from tapping to scrolling and swiping look more alive than ever. Interactions are simpler, resulting to a mobile experience that is efficient and more fluid.
As mentioned before, Android 12 will allow more transparency around apps that are accessing data. More controls have been added so consumers can make informed choices about their privacy. Check out the new Privacy Dashboard where you can view permissions settings. Other new Android 12 features include approximate location permission, direct Android privacy protections, and Android Private Compute Core. Expect useful experiences as well like scrolling screenshots, more conversation widgets, and improved accessibility features for people with impaired vision.