Android 12 Developer Preview

Google today released the final update to Android 12 before the public launch in the next few weeks. Over the coming hours, we’ll dive into Android 12 Beta 5 to chronicle all the new features.

Just a day after its first security update became available, Google’s latest affordable phone, the Pixel 5a, is now eligible to join the Android 12 Beta.

Nearly seven months have passed since Google released the first developer preview of its next major mobile OS release. Android 12 Beta 5 is available today as the final update (and release candidate) before the public launch.

Wallpaper-based theming is the main highlight of Android 12 and Material You. However, Dynamic Color did not initially work with the Pixel Live Wallpaper collection/category, and an app update rolling out this week remedies that.

The first Android 12 Beta worked out relatively well. There were no major bugs to speak of outside of one that prevented users from accessing the power menu easily. With Google Pay functional, it seems as though there were no major reasons to skip. After a second beta released caused many issues, though, you’d be justified in being wary of the third. Luckily, Android 12 Beta 4 bugs appear to be fairly scarce.

Exactly two weeks after the last release in the preview program, Android 12 Beta 4.1 is rolling out with much-needed bug fixes on Pixel phones.

Besides VPN issues and some notifications not popping up, Android 12 Beta 4 is quite stable for day-to-day usage. An issue that emerged in the last day or so, however, sees Android System Intelligence crash repeatedly on Android 12.

This month’s feedback survey comes a week after Google released Android 12 Beta 4. Its availability is slightly delayed from the usual two days following launch.

With the December 2020 Feature Drop, Google made it so that your Pixel phone charges slowly at night to preserve battery health. Pixel users have had hit or miss experiences with Adaptive Charging, and Google now looks to have tweaked how it works on Android 12.

With this week’s release, Google is “moving into the final phase” of Android 12 and focusing on “polish, performance, and stability” rather than adding new features. However, a bug in Android 12 Beta 4 sees most notification banners not pop up.

Android 12 Beta 4 has added a fair volume of new features and functions, but the lockscreen has seen a trio of tweaks that include the brand new Google Sans Text for the Now Playing feature, plus some improved icons for other existing features.

Besides wallpapers, Google lets owners customize the Pixel experience by making available a large collection of ringtones, notifications, and alarm sounds. Android 12 Beta 3 introduces a trio of additions to the Sounds app, and they’re very likely the new/next Pixel defaults.

We are potentially just a month or so away from the actual full stable Android 12 release, and that means that the public-facing preview phase is not far off done. Android 12 Beta 4 has arrived some four weeks after the third, and following all of our previous deep dives, we’ve been spending time with it to find the best new features and changes that you can enjoy right now.

The multitasking menu in Android 12 has been tweaked over the Beta period, but the layout is mostly unchanged. Google, however, has put a lot of work into making it easier to share content from Recents, and Android 12 Beta 4 adds image support.

With the release of the Android 12 Beta 4 build, new features are pretty thin on the ground, but the long-awaited Game Dashboard is now far easier to launch, with the in-game quick toggle also making an appearance.

Every year, Google includes an easter egg in the latest Android release, and Android 12 is no different. With the release of Android 12 Beta 4, this year’s easter egg is live, serving to showcase Material You and its dynamic colors.

The visual theme of Android 12 is by far the biggest change to the platform, and in Beta 4, Google is still making tweaks to how Material You is implemented. In this latest release, more themed icons have been added, and the Google Search logo on the Pixel Launcher gets a delightful Material You makeover.

With the Platform Stability milestone in today’s release, Android 12 nears a public launch. Over the coming hours, we will dive into Android 12 Beta 4 to chronicle all the new features.

This year’s Android preview cycle sees two additional releases before wider consumer availability with the public launch. Android 12 Beta 4 is rolling out today for Pixel phones with “Platform Stability.” 

While most Pixel fans are eagerly anticipating the upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro — confirmed to be an overhaul of the Made by Google phone series — the Android 12 Beta includes clues to what Google phones will come after that. These possibly include a foldable Pixel and the presumed Pixel 6a.

The next version of Google’s mobile OS just saw its latest patch today and is scheduled for one more beta before the release candidate and consumer launch. One of those releases will see the Android 12 Easter egg, but here’s a preview of it right now.