10 of the most important new features in Android 12
On March 17th, Google launched the second preview version of the operating system (Android 12) called (Android 12 Developer Preview 2) - a month after the launch of the first preview version - which gives us a first look at the next version of the operating system, and the features To be provided.
When will Android 12 be available?
Google has used over the past years to provide preview copies for the new version according to a specific timetable, as it launches the first preview version for developers during the month of February or March, followed by successive updates until the final release in August or September, and this year Android 12 will be available to users according to the following schedule :
- First developer preview release date: February 18, 2020.
- The release date for the second developer preview: March 17, 2021.
- Public beta release date: May 2021.
- Final release date: September 2021.
The most important new features in the Android 12 system
Google focuses on Android 12 on making it the smartest, easiest-to-use operating system, while improving performance and keeping privacy and security at its core.
The Android 12 system features a smoother user interface than the previous version, a new user interface for the notification panel, the feature to rotate the screen according to the direction of the user's face, in addition to introducing new controls in the touch gestures on the back of your phone that allow you to perform various actions easily, and others Lots.
Android 12 must change in the coming months, as it will get a lot of modifications and improvements, but now, with the arrival of the second preview version for developers, here are the most important new features that you need to know:
10 of the most important new features in Android 12
- 1- Double-tap gesture on the back of the phone:
There were hints and hints about the presence of the double-tap gesture feature on the back of the phone (Double-tap gesture) in Android 11, but once the final version was launched, we did not find it in the system, and now with the arrival of Android 12, Google is working to include it in its Pixel phones.
Clicking gestures on the back of the phone allow you to link the double-click options with a set of system tasks, such as: taking a screenshot, locking your phone, activating silent mode, or playing and pausing media files, as well as running certain applications such as: the camera application, or Google Assistant, and others.
The feature can be activated through the settings and set the action that you want to do when clicking on the back of the phone, and you will be able to stop it at any time, as well as adjust its sensitivity according to the way the phone is carried.
- 2- A special mode to facilitate the use of large phones with one hand:
During the past few years; The Accessibility feature in iOS makes it easy to use the large-screen iPhone with one hand. And now, in the second developer preview version of Android 12, Google introduces a new mode called (One-Handed Mode) that does the same thing.
It is worth noting that some manufacturers of Android phones offer this mode in their user interface - such as: Samsung in the interface (One UI) and OnePlus in the interface (OxygenOS 11) - but presenting it now in the Android system 12 will unify the form and mechanism of its use in phones with screens Big.
This mode pulls the interface down to the center of the screen, making everything on the top of the phone screen within easy reach and in reach.
- 3- Advantage of pressing the start button to request help:
Google introduced the feature of traffic accident detection in the form of a personal safety application in the Pixel 4 phone, and as the name indicates, the feature aims to detect accidents and automatically contact emergency services. In Android 11, the feature evolved and was introduced to other Pixel devices.
But in the Android 12 system, help can be requested by quickly pressing the power button on your phone five times, and thus the feature has evolved further and has become a high-level setting that can be easily activated through the settings, and this feature also allows you to add a dedicated help number other than known emergency numbers, And you can also set an alarm so that you can be easily seen when help arrives.
- 4- Update the user interface:
Google offers in Android 12 a major update in the user interface, where there is a new user interface for the notification panel, with the transparency of the panel replaced with a light blue background that resembles the light blue color that we can see in the drop-down menu for quick settings.
Notification icons also now have sharper rounded corners, and the number of Quick Settings boxes in the partially expanded case has decreased from 6 to 4, making room for larger icons.
- 5- Sharing the Wi-Fi password via the Nearby Share feature:
Starting with the Android 10 system, Google made it easy to share the login data to the Wi-Fi network with any others, so all you have to do is create a QR code using the login data to the Wi-Fi network, then the other person opens the camera application on the iPhone or Android phone to scan code, allowing it to quickly connect to Wi-Fi without the need to type a password.
In the Android system, it has added 12 new options to share the login data to the Wi-Fi network via the (Nearby Share) feature, where you will find a new option under the creation of a QR code called (turn on nearby sharing) that allows you to share registration data. Log in to the Wi-Fi network with neighboring devices quickly.
- 6- Automatically rotate the screen according to the direction of the user's face:
Android 12 introduces a new feature that automatically rotates the screen according to the direction of the user's face (Face-based Auto Rotate), as it relies on the front camera to detect the direction of your face.
When the phone and your face are rotated simultaneously, a smart sensor and mode recognition algorithm detects the orientation of your face and the phone to help determine whether or not you want to rotate the screen. This is a feature that will be useful for those who prefer to operate their phones while lying in bed.
- 7- New PiP Controls:
Android phones, since the release of (Android 8.0 Oreo), support the PiP (picture-in-picture) feature, allowing users to watch videos in a small window floating in the screen while using other applications, but it was somewhat limited in terms of ease of use.
In the system (Android 11), Google finally added the ability to change the size of the PiP window by pressing and dragging one of the corners, but some users encountered some problems when using this improvement.
So Google works on Android 12 to make it easier to change the size of the window, and the new controls allow you to maximize the window without switching to full-screen mode.
- 8- Improvements to the screenshot feature:
The Android system 12 introduces some improvements when taking a screenshot, as you can edit the screenshot by writing texts on it in several different fonts and colors, add some emojis and change their sizes with ease by simply pressing the button to enlarge.
In addition, when you share an image on Android 12, you will find a new (Edit) option that allows you to edit and modify the images before sending them. Simply bring up the default share menu and click (More) More as your other apps load, and you'll find the Edit option next to the Nearby Share option below the thumbnail.
- 9- Improved multimedia playback controls:
In Android 11, Google has redesigned the media controls and included them within the quick settings bar at the top of the notification center, allowing you to play and pause or skip multimedia files, or open their application directly from the quick settings menu.
But in Android 12, media controls have become more precise, as Google has increased the area of the media player more than before, extending almost the width of the entire screen, and also occupying more space in the lock screen when it is active.
You can also now select the apps that appear in the media player and those that do not appear through the settings, for example: If you want to be able to control Spotify playback in the Quick Settings panel, but you don't want YouTube to run permanently, you can turn it off.
- 10- Improving the split-screen feature:
The split-screen feature has been present in Android for a few years, but it needs some improvements. Where Samsung has developed the functionality in the user interface of its phones further through the (App Pair) feature, which specifies that you can launch two applications that you want to open simultaneously, and then click the resulting icon to do so very quickly. LG and Microsoft also had similar ideas for dual-screen devices.
The split-screen feature in Android 11 works by installing one app in a smaller window and then running another, making it a multi-step process. But the system (Android 12) actually comes with the functions of operating more than one application at the same time, albeit so far hidden and not available to everyone.
But some developers were able to pair and run two apps simultaneously in split-screen using shell commands in the second preview version of the system.