Google released the first version of Android 12 Developer Preview earlier this week. For many of us who expected the major design overhaul seen earlier in the Android 12 leak, the first official release was quite disheartening – despite a series of new improvements that it brought to Android functionality. Of course, this is only the developer’s first preview, and Google is set to follow a monthly update routine before the stable launch in September 2021, but there was definitely room to make it better. Do you agree that the first release could have been more impressive?
All news from Android 12 on XDA
Android 12 brings visible design changes, including the new shade of spaced notifications, while a bluish color replaces the white background color we’ve seen since Android Lollipop. The new version of Android also increases the size of the settings and better organizes the menus. But the update made us anxious for any significant visual changes – like the background color linked to the wallpaper, the new dynamic widgets from Conversations or the privacy indicators. Google has sparked a one-handed mode that can be switched with a feature flag, but it’s also half-based at the moment.
Despite what is currently missing, the future of Android 12 looks very promising!
Although the current version doesn’t impress us with its user interface updates, XDA editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman has managed to activate some of the hidden features in Android 12 Developer Preview. These features include a native one-handed mode on Android 12 similar to the iOS accessibility setting. Along with that, Google is working to improve use with one hand, shifting UI elements to half of the screen in a similar way to what Samsung implemented with One UI – or OnePlus with OxygenOS 11. These settings are hidden behind a “Silky Home” feature flag.
Here’s the one-handed mode of Android 12 – fully functional. Unfortunately, it’s like Apple’s Reachability (vertical downsizing) instead of OHM in most OEM software (horizontal and vertical downsizing). pic.twitter.com/IznRVHTgPu
– Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 18, 2021
Although it was omitted from the first Developer Preview, Google is working on redesigning the interface, as previously rumored. Mishaal can force some changes to the Android 12 user interface and activate the unfinished notification user interface and Always-On Display features. The notification UI is very similar to Xiaomi’s custom Android skin, MIUI. It seems to have more empty spaces between the active elements in the UI, which makes it a minimal aesthetic.
Along with the above changes, the developer kdrag0n was also able to implement the wallpaper-based theme that was mentioned in the leaks previously. These changes, part of the design of Material NEXT, are hidden from the current version of Android 12, which is publicly available. These Android 12 color-changing skills evolved from the RRO functionality that was introduced in Android Lollipop.
The new theme feature also applies to the notification drop-down list on the lock screen. In addition to these changes, Android 12 should also bring different styles for the lock screen clock and also for Always-On-Display.
Again, these features are not available to users, but their presence in the code suggests that Android may be heading towards the next big user interface change since Android 9 Pie. We look forward to seeing these changes take effect by default in Android 12 Developer Preview and beta versions. Even so, there is still no timetable for this specific feature.
What is your opinion about the supposed changes to the Android 12 interface? Let us know in the comments below!