Andrew Hoyle / CNET
Google last month unveiled the latest version of its Android operating system, Android 12. Android 12 is now available as a developer preview, and looks a lot like Android 11, with some new features and some performance solutions aimed at making your phone run smoother.
If you want to try out the new operating system, you can do so download and install the Android 12 developer preview now. Be warned, however, that as the first preview of developers, it’s probably full of bugs and that it’s not for the average person to try out at this point – especially not on your primary device. We expect Google to launch a public beta in May, and the final version around August or September.
Here are three of the biggest new features we’ve seen so far in Android 12 compared to Android 11.
Look at this:
Our first look at Android 12
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App privacy features
Google is adding several new privacy features to apps to give users more transparency and control, according to a blog post from Android Developers. One update gives you more information about how cookies can be used on websites, while another changes how programs execute information to prevent them from accidentally performing activities, services and recipients.
It’s noteworthy that this policy is less stringent than in Apple’s recent release of iOS software, which includes a new app. “nutrition labels“which tells people what personal data their programs collect, and an upcoming change that requires developers to ask people permission to collect and track data across programs and websites.
Redesigned notifications
With Android 12, Google is changing the design of notifications to make it more modern and functional. Tapping on a notification will take you directly to the app or action you want to take, instead of going through an intermediary service to initiate the action. According to the blog post, it should make everything run faster.
As noted by tech site XDA Developers, Android 12 also gets a new button that lets you snooze unimportant notifications, and choose how long to do so. You can also turn on customizable notification rosters to rearrange Android notifications based on how you work with different apps, and re-rank them if you don’t like them.
One-handed mode
Android 12 apparently includes some design changes that make it easier to use Android phones with one hand and thumb. XDA developers have noticed that the updated user interface moves the search bar to the bottom of the screen for easy access with one hand. It has also unveiled a new feature called ‘silky home’ that makes the whole interface more suitable for one-handed use.
Look for more information how to download the android 12 developer preview, and the best android phones to buy for 2021.