Google intends to follow last year’s schedule for the release of preliminary versions of the new Android 12 operating system for developers. As it became known, the Android Beta Feedback application was updated yesterday.
In 2019, Google provided the Android Beta Feedback app for Android 10 that allows you to report bugs without having to visit the bug tracking website. This app automatically appears when you install the developer preview beta. A similar client was available last year during Android 11 testing.
Users who saved the Android Beta Feedback app on their smartphones received an update yesterday under the number 2.15-betterbug.external_20201211_RC02. Sources indicate that this clearly hints at the imminent release of the Android 12 Developer Preview.
Android 11 for developers was available in February last year, so the Android 12 Developer Preview should launch in the coming days.
The company has supposedly added new features to Android Beta Feedback to improve the feedback process, but the app is not working yet.
Google will launch system-wide color themes with Android 12
Google is preparing to release a new version of its mobile operating system Android 12. Meanwhile, enthusiasts are discovering all the new features that await us with the launch of Android 12.
This time the information was shared by the 9to5Google website. According to the source, Google is working on Android-native color themes. They will allow you to choose one primary color and one secondary color, which will be reflected in the appearance of the entire system.
The interface elements will be “repaint” in accordance with the chosen theme, including alerts and quick settings. Third-party applications will also support themes as well, bringing the main interface and the application interface to the same style.
This is a major step up from Android 10 and Android 11, where the OS and apps can only switch between dark and light themes. Android smartphone manufacturers themselves often offer different themes; but in Android 12 this will be possible immediately at the system level.
Google will bring back a useful feature with Android 12
According to the source, Google will bring back in the next version of its Android operating system (Android 12) a feature that has been actively tested and should have appeared in Android 11. Google developers call this feature “Columbus”.
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This designation conceals the ability to perform a number of actions by double-tapping on the back of a smartphone; in much the same way as the screen awakes by tapping on the display. By default, double-tapping on the back was supposed to launch Google Assistant; but we can assign this action to almost any other action: turn off the alarm, start the camera, stop video playback, mute the sound on an incoming call, etc.
In Android 12, Columbus will perform only some actions, using this feature, you can, again, call Google Assistant, take a screenshot, pause and resume video playback, open notifications or background applications menu.
To prevent accidental pushes or other actions from being interpreted as a double tap; the user will first need to register this “gesture”. Also, in the Android settings, Columbus can be completely turned off.
Android 12 will bring a completely new split-screen mode
Google is preparing interesting innovations for Android 12. In addition to the simplified procedure for transferring Wi-Fi passwords, limited network mode and mysterious hibernation mode, some developers have discovered a new feature that will delight owners of smartphones with large screens.
We are talking about a redesigned split-screen multitasking mode. In this mode, you can display two applications at once (sometimes more) and use them simultaneously. This is especially useful on smartphones with large displays.
To use a couple of applications at the same time; now you need to open one of them; then activate the split-screen mode for this application using the view of recent applications and select the second application. This solution was often not very convenient and manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and Microsoft offered their alternatives.
According to 9to5Google, Google is preparing a completely redesigned split-screen mode called App Pairs (Pairs of applications). When browsing recent apps, App Pairs lets you treat a pair of apps as one task.
Thus, the user can pair two applications that he often uses together. Then he can easily launch or return to them after working with other applications. To illustrate the function in action, 9to5Google created a mockup of how the feature might look.
