Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- The first preview of Android 12 for developers is now available. You can install it on selected Google Pixel smartphones.
- This first preview is mainly for developers and is very unstable for you to use as a daily driver.
- Google says this year’s focus is on making Android “more intuitive, better performing and more secure”.
Today is the big day: our first official version of Android 12! The first developer preview of the 2021 iteration of the world’s largest operating system is now available.
The Android 12 developer preview will work on all Google Pixel smartphones from the Pixel 3 series onwards. This means that Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a / 4a 5G and Pixel 5. Previous Pixel and other OEM smartphones are not supported, but you can always use Android Android Studio emulator, if desired.
Related: All the features of Android 12 that we know so far
As usual, this first DP is not intended for consumer use. Therefore, you can only install it manually. You can flash a factory image if it is OK to clear your data and unlock the bootloader. If not, you can sideload an OTA that will not require an unlocked bootloader or data wipe. Either way, you’ll get OTAs for future preview releases, as well as for the inevitable beta versions.
However, please understand that this version of Android 12 must be considered completely unstable. It is not appropriate to use this as your daily driver, as it will cause all kinds of problems! As such, this is only for developers and repairers.
Android 12 developer preview: this is just a test
Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
As we are at the beginning of the development of Android 12, this first developer view will not present many new consumer-oriented features. Instead, most of the features will be geared towards developers. As always, developers will find consumer resource tips within this code, so stay tuned for our coverage of these rumors.
Google has announced what it aims to achieve with Android 12 in general. He says that this version of Android will be “more intuitive, with better performance and more secure” than the other versions. Last year, Google’s main focus was on communication: notifications, messaging features, etc. Therefore, the Android 12 developer view will have different priorities.
With that in mind, many of the features confirmed in Android 12 so far are all very technical. Google says Android 12 will allow for faster, higher-quality image transcoding, which will allow for better-looking photos and smaller file sizes. Notifications will also be faster with more tools for developers to customize. It will also be easier for developers to discover compatibility issues so they can get their applications up and running faster.
There are some confirmed features, however, that consumers will appreciate. One is touch-coupled audio, which will allow the phone’s vibration engine to sync with the app’s audio, creating more immersive gaming experiences. Likewise, gesture navigation while the phone’s screen is completely covered with media (like, say, when you’re watching a movie) will be easier and more consistent.
Stay tuned, as we will probably discover many interesting features in the coming days as we play with the Android 12 developer preview!
Related: Android versions: the history of the largest mobile operating system
When will everyone have Android 12?
Google says its goal is to achieve platform stability by August 2021. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Google released the stable version of Android 11 on September 8. It is possible that Android 12 will arrive before this year, although it is highly unlikely that it will land before August.
Meanwhile, the first beta for Android 11 was released on June 10, 2020. It is not absurd to expect a beta for Android 12 to arrive around the same time this year.
The end result is that the Android 12 developer preview is just the beginning. We have many months to go before consumers in general use it!