We are looking forward to the first sample release of Google’s Android 12, which we hope will arrive next month or so. But although we haven’t seen it yet, many details about the new release are public, amid the leaks and Google’s own public plans. At the moment, we’re looking forward to seeing five great features – assuming Google doesn’t push any of them back (again).
Privacy indicators
Initial leaks indicate that Android 12 will finally release a feature that is under development for years old. Privacy indicators, as well as those that debuted on iOS 14, are coming to Android. A set of icons and colored dots will indicate when and if applications are using your microphone or camera, so you can be aware of when the software on your phone may be violating your privacy.
It is a good step in itself and, in addition, the Google version seems set to be better than Apples, making it easier to see which applications are currently accessing them and after the fact, without having to go through menu stacks configuration.
It remains to be seen how Google will treat system-level access compared to third-party applications – you can configure Google Assistant to always hear the hotword, for example – but it is a step in the right direction for user privacy, and one that we’ve been waiting for since Google started working on it two years ago on Android 10.
Better theming
We’ve also known for some time that Android 12 is set to expand theme options. While Android has some system-level support for themes – which Pixel owners must recognize since Android 10 – Android 12 is set to open up a lot.
He left: Android 11 normal dark theme. Right: A mockup of the appearance of expanded color options. Both images via 9to5Google.
The details are sparse, but we hope that Android 12 will allow the creation of themes through a defined primary color and accent color – presumably selected by the user in some way, potentially with a series of presets. But even better, Android 12 will also pass color data on to third-party apps, allowing them to capture these tips as well. If the slow implementation of dark theme support at the system level is any indicator, it may not make a difference for years, and many applications will never implement it, but it can be good for those who do.
These images (likely mockups) can be affected by the expanded themes of Android 12.
Some of Android 12’s recent mockups can also be themed, giving a potential example of what a sandy color combination might look like in action. But if what we get looks like the images we already have or something else, Android 12 is set to expand theme support at the system level for broader customization – although perhaps not to the degree that the substrate or light substrate could.
Scrolling images
Google has faltered back and forth when it comes to scrolling screenshots. First, the company said it was “unviable”. Then, in a question and answer session at Google I / O, Dave Burke overturned that decision, dictating that scrolling screenshots be added to Android R. The feature was detected in development, but ended up being postponed and never did final cut for Android R / 11 when it landed. Instead of resorting to what Google called a “quick hack” that emulates scrolling with your finger (like what Samsung and OnePlus do on their devices), Google decided that it wanted to make the Cadillac version compatible with all types of visualization and application without any unexpected behavior or jank.
Image via XDA Developers.
Well, it turns out that the change in scope predictably meant a lot more work, and so Google put the feature on hold. The current hope is that we have it on Android 12.
Application pairs
Whether it’s an improvement designed to help with the emerging folding category or just Google trying to catch up with Samsung, Android 12 is expected to support pair of apps. The feature will treat two applications as a single application during multitasking. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Samsung literally calls its version of the same thing.
A couple of apps on Z Fold2.
It is not immediately clear whether you will be able to launch applications as a pair, but based on the details detected so far, we know that they can be managed together, and if you switch between applications, one of them will not be “pinned” as you switch between applications. They are treated as a single functional unit.
The divider between apps is also picking up some new features, like the ability to double-tap to switch app positions, and I suspect that Google may also pick up some of Samsung’s other multi-task / multitasking management tools from OneUI first of all about.
Best RCS message
The last major feature we’re looking forward to may not work, and we’ve been waiting for it for some time: Better support for RCS.
At the moment, RCS messaging apps on Android basically interface directly with their services. While SMS is managed by the system and passed on to any application that has permission to access it, RCS is direct and external to Android itself. There is no easy system API for RCS messages. But ideally, this will not be the case forever.
RCS in Google Messaging.
In 2019, the first signs of RCS support at the system level were detected. More recently, we saw some other details that indicate that RCS support may be changing on Android 12. Nothing now says that Android 12 will further expand RCS support for third-party applications (and it would be too complicated for Google too), but the company is clearly making changes, and that is the hope.
There are many other potentially great features to land on Android 12 (I’m very excited about Android Runtime becoming a Mainline module), and Google almost certainly has a few surprises before it launches. We’ll be sure to cover everything as we find it as soon as the first view arrives in the coming weeks.