Android 12 is something that is picking up a lot of momentum lately, and while this is just another annual release of Google’s smartphone OS, it also could be a real game-changer in terms of giving the complete user interface and user experience a complete revamp. Here are all the features that we currently know about Android 12 so far and what you can expect.
Here are all the bells and whistles that could come with Android 12
Credit to XDA-Developers for their hard work in unearthing a lot of these features.
To make things easier, here are the features that are speculated thus far on Android 12.
- Smart AutoRotate
- Gaming Mode
- Reduce Bright Colors
- The move from Material theme to Material Next UI.
- The ability to hide a Picture-in-Picture window to the right or left of the screen
- New bubble animations for apps like Messenger
- App Pairs
- One-Handed mode for large sized phones
Let’s talk about these briefly, one at a time.
Smart AutoRotate like the name suggests, will be Google improving on the phone auto-rotating when the rotation lock is toggled off. While details are scarce, this could mean that you are less likely to have the orientation changed when switching the phone angle. The phone may lose reliance on the phone’s Gyro sensor in determining whether or not to go to full-on landscape or portrait orientation.
Gaming Mode like the name suggests is something that other OEMs have long since adopted. Companies like OnePlus, Poco, and more have a dedicated gaming mode that silences notifications and handles incoming calls in a non-disruptive way. We don’t know what Google’s offerings will be, just that there will be a gaming mode equivalent that is proprietary to Google.
Reduce Bright Colors is classified as an accessibility feature and has yet to have its features shared in better detail. We just know it will be a feature for visually impaired individuals.
Material Design to Material Next as the next design philosophy. Material design has been the main drive for app design and user interface since 2014 and has since minute changes since its introduction. Material Next will be the next big overhaul in the Material experience that will punctuate Android 12’s arrival and could mean apps will also follow suit.
Picture-in-Picture is also set to get a minor change. You will now be able to make PiP windows full-screen by double tapping on the window, and also hiding the window to the left or right of the screen but keep the audio playing.
New Bubble Animation for apps like Messenger that are given permission to display over other apps. While the feature got a slight tweak in Android 11, it is said to get a further revamp.
App Pairs is another significant feature that is set to launch. The details on this feature are also scarce but its speculated that it will allow you to quickly enter split-screen with your two most recent apps.
One-Handed Mode is the last major feature highlighted for the OS that will let users navigate large display phones with relative ease. While One-Handed mode is in certain OEM’s currently, it isn’t a wide-spread feature. The latest Android OS aims to make that a universal feature for all OEM’s to use.
There could be more features but for now these are the ones that have the strongest evidence to back up their existence. Let’s wait and see what lies in the future for Android 12.