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The last two weeks were very interesting, with the rumor mills churning out some screengrabs from Android 12, and looked like they had taken cues from the Clubhouse app on the color palette.
While we are busy dividing ourselves into the "for" and "against" groups on the
refreshed UI, Google has just dropped the Android 12 onto the Pixel phones, but in the form of Developer Beta – not meant for daily use, but as a way for developers to start preparing for a new Android version later in the year.
All that aside, let's have a look at what are the new features coming to the very first developer preview:
A fresh look to the settings menu & additions
Hang on, we still aren't too sure of "
themeing" options, but for now, there is a cool-blue color added to the settings menu pages, and this treatment is extended to the notifications menu from the homescreen as well.
Up top, the search bar gets
rounded edges with your profile picture container getting a more prominent size, next to the search bar.
A quick toggle to move into the elusive "
dark mode" is what the settings screen starts with. With this option being so popular, Google seems to have sweetened the deal here.
While we had the emergency options in the main container of settings, Android 12 now puts them all together into a "
Safety & Emergency" logical category that houses Car Crash Detection, Emergency SOS, Emergency Info and such.
Snoozing Notifications
Just how many times we found some notifications intrusive but yet important to be looked into later in the day? No more cumbersome way of swiping and all that. A dedicated icon upfront will make it all easier to snooze your notifications.
"Nearby Share" for WiFi Credentials
No more frustrating moments of changing your passwords to something that is easy to type and share, and then change it back, or copy em over or say it aloud. You can go beyond the QR Code and share the SID and Password via the already existing
Nearby Share option with your selected family and friends. Finally!
Better UX for Screenshots
I've banged my head many times just to find the "
x" icon after taking a screenshot on the Pixels. Not anymore! You can now swipe em off the screen, just like you do on OnePlus devices.
And what more, you can now add emojis on your screenshot, make edits, and deletes before sharing them with others or saving them.
Controlling media in Quick Settings
It's very frustrating when every other media app showed up in the Quick Settings menu or lock screen and they accidentally play songs. You can now select which of the music apps you have can show up on there. Phew! No more embarrassments in meetings.
Curious new Toggle UI
There's a new
toggle design that can be seen in the Developer Settings. It's
bigger, while also housing a visual cue in it. When you toggle it to indicate a selection, a
tick mark is shown inside it. Reverse the toggle and you see a
minus sign. Interesting UI change, as the color cues still exist. We will have to see if this style will make its way across the OS.
One-handed mode
Before you get excited, it's just
resizing the screen you're on. Not the kinda deal Samsung or OnePlus are doing on their latest software playing with the innards of the pages to make options more easily accessible for single-handed use.
Of course, there are tons more in terms of the
API changes and additions that Android 12 brings in, that are of more interest to the developers. Like the support for more rich text support in the clipboard for images, haptic feedback usage, gesture taps, and so on. The aforementioned features are something that is more evident to the end-user!
We have a long way to go till we get into the user betas in May and then towards the more stable final release in Sep/Oct. Hope to see more interesting features on the Android 12, while we await the official naming.
Do you know what dessert Android 12 can be? What new features do you think we may see? And what you think of what you've seen thus far? How do you see Oxygen OS evolving with this? Let us discuss it in the comments.
P.S: Pic Credits - Android Authority Click to expand...
