Release date, previews, betas and everything you need to know

The first preview releases of Android 12 are probably coming. If you expect to take a look at the beginning and this is your first time, we’ve put together a quick overview of the subject based on our years of experience that should help you get ready for your first look at Android 12 when it arrives.

Who is this for?

To begin, we need to make it very clear that the first Developer Previews for Android 12 are, as their name might suggest, aimed at developers. While enthusiasts (including me) are likely to download them for fun, they are often buggy and unstable, and Google didn’t make them for us. They exist so that developers can play around with new APIs and other changes at the system level and provide feedback for these adjustments before they are finalized, before the final release.

Sometimes, Google’s adjustments have unexpected consequences, and developers are the first to identify possible concerns so that they can be adjusted. Stability problems are common during these early stages. Even though recent views have been particularly stable, there is no guarantee that they will be for Android 12. Problems can range from application crashes to unexpected reboots or even potentially more serious problems like bootloops or data corruption.

Wait for new features, such as the privacy indicators (described above) for when the microphone and camera are in use, although they may not appear in the first version.

Not infrequently, developer views have problems that require troubleshooting to be fixed. A soft brick is possible, but unlikely. You should feel comfortable moving through a recovery menu and sideloading an OTA manually via ADB if necessary – or at least be willing to learn the process regardless if and when things go wrong.

I also recommend that you are willing and able to provide Google with bug reports if you encounter any problems or unexpected behavior. Think of it as the Android exit queue seats: there is a responsibility that comes with this extra legroom for Android 12 and you are expected to provide quality feedback. This does not mean an awkward speech about the spacing of icons triggered through the feedback application, it means pulling system logs, describing a problem in precise terms and documenting the steps necessary to reproduce it so that the problem can be addressed by engineers and corrected.

If you’re a smartphone enthusiast with a spare phone in hand, developer views can be fun. But if you are thinking of installing them on your single device for daily use, I would like tightly advise against it.

When are you leaving?

We don’t have an official release date at the time of writing, but if the story is an indicator, there are only a few days when the first Android 12 Developer Preview can arrive.

First, Google anticipated the normal launch schedule by about a month last year, discarding the first Android 11 Developer Preview in February last year. The Android Beta Feedback app integrated with the preview and beta versions since Android 10 Q also received a random update in early February this year. It is not conclusive evidence, but it is a strong indicator that we may see an earlier February release again this year for Android 12, although it may also land in early mid-March, as it did in previous years.

The dates marked in green are our guesses.

Second, Google almost always releases preview and beta versions on Wednesdays (usually at 10 am PT). There were exceptions, but they are rare, so we are likely to see a release on Wednesday again.

Taking a look at the calendar and keeping these two details in mind, several dates are possible between February and March:

• February 17
• February, 24
• March 3
• March 10
• March 17

Google recently planned six pre-release / beta versions, but last year we won a random extra, and Android P made five. In the absence of any details, I expect a similar six release schedule for Android 12 this year. Last year, Google also started the habit of sending bug fix updates between planned releases, and I hope that will continue.

The final stable version usually takes place in the third quarter, around August or September.

Which phones can do this?

This can vary, but if the previous years serve as an indicator, the developer’s first views will be limited to the currently supported Pixel devices. That means all the pixels after the Pixel 2 series.

I expect the following phones to have developer views on the first day:

If you don’t have a compatible device, but would like to check out the first Android betas, a refurbished or used Pixel 3 or 3a can be purchased for a very low price.

When the Android Beta program launches later this year, we are likely to see more phones get their own Android 12 beta programs. Often, companies like OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi and ASUS launch their own Android betas for one or two major devices in the summer. Last year, we got it right when Beta 1 landed for Pixels, when Google I / O would have been. These third-party releases can sometimes be a version behind Pixels.

How do I install?

Installing Google’s later Android Betas is easy: you just need to opt-in on the Android Beta Program website. When you’re already in previews and betas, updates will also arrive automatically. However, Google intentionally makes installing the previous Developer Views a little more difficult. I think a higher barrier of entry helps to eliminate those who would not be able to fix problems, which happens more often with preview versions, but it means that installing Developer Views is a more manual process.

Google provides instructions on how to flash images on its OTA image download site, and the same details also apply to previews. I would encourage you to find a specific step by step for your platform for specific steps, like installing ADB and sideloading an OTA. On some platforms, like Linux, it is easier to do than others. But the short version is:

1. Install the Android SDK tools (ie ADB) and USB drivers (if using Windows).
2. Download the Developer Preview OTA image to your device. This link will redirect you to the stable images for now, but as soon as the previews are available, it should work again.
3. Connect your phone to the computer.
4. Restart on recovery (via ADB / USB debugging or key combination) and enter sideload mode – turning on + increasing the volume opens the Recovery menu, scroll through the volume keys to “apply ADB update” and select it with a tap the power button.
   1. Check if this worked by typing “adb devices” (without quotes) in a shell or command prompt. If ADB is installed and your phone is in the correct mode, you should see an identifier for your phone and a reported “sideload” status.
5. Update the OTA through a shell or command prompt, using “adb sideload your_file_name_here.zip” without quotes, where the file name is the name of the OTA image you downloaded earlier. On some platforms, you will need to precede adb commands with “./” for it to work correctly.
6. Look anxiously at your phone as it is installed slowly.
7. Restart when done.

You can also use the Android Flash tool, which works directly in your browser (complete instructions here). Last year, Google made it compatible with Developer Preview 2 and later, and we can see that happening earlier this year. It’s easier and works on more platforms – one of our readers humorously installed an Android 11 Developer Preview on a Pixel from another Pixel, which I still laugh at.

We should note that sometimes a new version of the Android SDK platform tools is required for a new release, so if you run into problems when the Developer Preview is available, check for updates. And while some guides that you can see claim that you need to unlock your bootloader to install Developer Previews, this is not correct. OTA images can be loaded easily without unlocking the bootloader.

Developer vs. Preview Beta

Google’s timeline varies slightly and has used different names over the years. Back to Android 8 Oreo and Android 9 Pie, all we got was “Developer views”. With Android Q, Google decided to call them “Betas”. Last year, we had a mix: Developer Previews for the first releases, Betas for the last.

It is possible that Google could once again play with the nomenclature between Developer Previews and Betas with the test versions of Android 12 – or even call them something new. We saw the company adjust this nomenclature quite often. However, I think that last year achieved a good descriptive combination with the two different names as the releases went on, and that made it clear how these test versions change over time. Initial preview versions are less stable, subject to change, targeted at developers, and things can go wrong. Later betas arrive after things start to be finalized, developers can anticipate stable behaviors, without major additions, almost final or final APIs, and armchair enthusiasts can think about diving without so much concern. I hope Google uses the same language for Android 12.

If so, expect to see a shift from Developer Views to Betas somewhere in the middle of the timeline, just when Google I / O would be – not that we should expect I / O to happen this year.

Finally, I would just like to point out (because thousands of people ask about it whenever it happens), the Developer Preview and Beta updates usually stop contactless payments a few days after its launch. It’s one thing, it almost always gets fixed in a few days, and it’s nothing to be excited about when it happens with each update.