Author: Dave Shanks
Android 12 is now available for Pixel phones, the upgrade for other popular phones will follow in the coming months. The centerpiece is Material You. A brand-new design language that customizes itself based on the colors in your wallpaper to suit your likes.
The Private Computing Core and the Privacy Dashboard are only two of Android 12’s key privacy features. Keep reading this review to learn everything you need about Android 12 OS.
What New Features Does Android 12 Have?
Your phone will determine what Android 12 is. Whereas Samsung and Oppo incorporate softer variations of the same core concept on their operating systems, Google is promoting its Material You revamp for its Pixel series smartphones.
The upgrades to privacy can be seen here and there, like new toggles to turn off your camera and microphone when appropriate, a privacy dashboard to view which apps ask for certain permissions, and several internal modifications to make your device more functional than ever.
The new features offered by Android 12 are listed below:
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Material You
One of Android 12’s most significant updates is Material You. The version of Material Design, code-named Material You, was previously leaked as Material NEXT.
This visual aesthetic will be used by a more extensive range of Google services and won’t only be limited to Android.
However, this is among the most significant Android OS visual updates in recent years.
Color and customization are emphasized, and users can select their color swatches, contrast, element sizes, line widths, and other options.
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Wallpaper-based UX Theming
Along with Material You, Android 12 introduces a new wallpaper-based UX theme engine. This functionality results from years of effort on the Android system’s OMS and RRO.
In accordance with the colors used in the phone’s wallpaper, Android 12 automatically selects a set of complementary color palettes for use throughout the system UI.
All components will use the colors evenly, including the lock screen, accessible settings, notifications bar, and even the recently added adaptable widgets.
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Private Computer Core
Some AI-driven capabilities, like Now Playing, Live Caption, and Smart Reply, will use a Private Compute Core in Android 12 to protect personal information. For these machine learning features, a secure operating system partition called the Private Compute Core would be employed, much like the ones for a passcode and biometric information.
The operating system will find it simpler to protect data if it is kept in a different partition while still available for system-level operations.
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One-handed mode
Google has included a native one-handed capability to Android 12 in imitation of third-party Android customizations. As the name suggests, the function makes using your device with one hand simple, which is great for phones with big screens and enormous dimensions like the Pixel 6 Pro.
To use this feature, go to Settings > System > Gestures on your phone. Activate One-Handed mode by tapping on it. Now, all you have to do to activate one-handed mode is swipe down from the bottom edge of the screen. However, this functionality only functions when your smartphone is set up for gesture navigation.
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Quick Tap
Google has added a new Quick Tap functionality to Android 12. This feature is related to the Back Tap gesture in iOS 14. You may launch an app of your choosing, manage media playing, take a screenshot, display recent apps, and activate Google Assistant by just double-tapping the back of your device.
To use this feature, go to Android 12’s Settings > System > Gestures section. You will find the Quick Tap gesture there.
Choose a task that you wish to allocate to Quick Tap at this point based on your preferences.
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Direct sharing from the Recent menu’s overview
Android 12 has dramatically enhanced the recent overview menu’s rapid image-sharing function. Soon, a list of your suggested contacts will appear at the bottom when you drag and drop photographs from Instagram, a web page in Chrome, or other apps with a similar function. Sharing information from the recent overview is now easier and more simplified.
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Privacy Dashboard
With the Privacy panel, Google is further ratcheting up its privacy initiatives. The new privacy dashboard can show you a summary of the programs that used your location information, camera, microphone, and other similar attributes. When an app uses specific permission, you will get a detailed analysis minute-by-minute.
The Privacy dashboard can help you determine whether or not the loaded apps on your phone are secretly monitoring your activities or overhearing your chats if you have paranoid thoughts about it. You can view the privacy dashboard through Settings > Privacy > Privacy dashboard.
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Dim the Screen
The added Extra Dim feature in Android 12 significantly dims the display if you discover it is too bright, even on the least brightness level. The extra-low brightness can help lessen eye strain, which is perfect for anyone who frequently stares at their device’s screen in a dark environment.
The option can be found in Settings > Accessibility > Extra dim. In addition, there is a Quick Settings tile for it.
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Google System Updates
Aside from system updates, Google frequently makes minor changes to the Play Store and Play Services frameworks. These affect a small portion of the Android experience. These are typically relatively small, but the one in March 2022 was quite significant.
The ability to play games while they install in the background has been improved with the Google Software Patch for March 2022.
In addition to streamlining the download procedure, Google claims to have included several developer-focused features for adverts and other things.
This upgrade stands apart from any Pixel feature drops or periodic security patches. Most Android phones, including those not running Android 12, can access this.
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Issues
No significant problem was encountered while experimenting with Android 12. However, faults and unintended consequences can occur with any new software.
The only significant problem with Android 12 is that it might deplete phone batteries.
Conclusion
The most significant update to Android after a long time is Android 12. The new OS version still doesn’t feel completely polished, even after its standard calibration. Android 12 is a solid basis for future advancements, unlike earlier significant shifts such as Android 3 Honeycomb (which was only accessible for tablets) and Android 5 Lollipop. As an illustration, next year’s Android 12L, concentrating on big-screen devices, has already been made available as a prerelease version.