Release date, previews, touches and everything you need to know

This story was originally published 2021/02/10
12:30 PM PSTon February 10, 2021 and last updated 2021/02/13
08:37 PSTon 13 February 2021.

The next version of Android – which we suspect will be called … Android 12 – is likely to be released in the coming weeks as a preview for developers. Every year, Google publishes a series of unfinished but public testing programs for the upcoming version of its mobile operating system, and for an increasingly wide range of phones (i.e. not just Pixels). And while Android 12 has yet to break the cover, the announcement is likely to be imminent, so here’s what we know so far.

For whom is it?

To begin with, we need to make it very clear that the first developer previews for Android 12, as their name should indicate, are intended for developers. While enthusiasts (including myself) are likely to download it for fun, they are often sparse and unstable, and Google did not make it for us. It exists so that developers can play with new APIs and other system-level changes, and provide feedback for the adjustments before they are finalized, before final release.

Sometimes Google’s customizations have unintended consequences, and developers are the first to spot potential issues so they can be customized. Stability issues are common in these early stages. Even if recent previews were particularly stable, there is no guarantee for Android 12. Problems can range from app crashes to unexpected reloads, or even more serious issues, such as bootloaders or data corruption.

Look forward to new features, such as the privacy indicators (pictured above) for the use of the microphone and camera, although they may not appear in the first version.

Not infrequently, developer previews have issues that need problem solving to solve. A soft brick is possible, but unlikely. You should feel comfortable snooping around in a recovery menu and, if necessary, sideloading an OTA via ADB – or at least being willing to learn the process independently if and when things go wrong.

I also recommend that you be willing and able to provide Google with bug reports if you experience problems or unexpected behavior. Think of this as the exit of Android for the exit: There is a responsibility regarding this extra Android legroom for Android 12, and you are expected to provide quality feedback. This does not mean that there is a swipe over the icon distance fired by the feedback device, it means that you draw system logs, describe a problem in exact terms and document the steps needed to display it, so that the problem can be addressed by engineers.

If you are a smartphone lover with an extra phone at hand, the developer previews can be fun. But if you are thinking of installing it on your only device for daily use, I would do it strong advise against it.

When will it come out?

We do not have an official release date at the time of writing, but if the history is an indication, there are only a few days that the first Android 12 developer preview could end up.

First, Google raised the normal release schedule by about a month last year and dropped the first Android 11 developer preview in February last year. The Android Beta Feedback app is built into the preview and beta versions, as Android 10 Q also received a random update in early February this year. This is not conclusive proof, but it is a strong indication that we may see an earlier February release again for Android 12 this year, but it may also land early to mid-March as in previous years.

Dates marked in green are our guesses.

Second, Google almost always releases preview and beta versions on a Wednesday (usually at 10:00 PT). There have been exceptions, but these are rare, so we’ll probably see a Wednesday release again.

If you look at the calendar, keeping both of these details in mind, a handful of dates are possible during February and March:

• February 17
• February 24
• March 3
• March 10
• March 17

Recently, Google planned for six preview / beta releases, but last year we got a random extra one, and Android P did five. Lacking any details, I would expect a similar schedule for six releases for Android 12 this year. Last year, Google also started the habit of repairing bug updates between the planned releases, and I would expect that to continue.

The final stable release usually takes place in the third quarter around August or September.

What phones can it get?

This may vary, but if previous years are an indication, the early preview of developers will be limited to current Pixel devices. This means all Pixels after the Pixel 2 series.

I would expect the following phones to have developer previews on the first day:

If you do not own a supported device but want to view the early Android Betas, a refurbished or used Pixel 3 or Pixel 3a can be picked up fairly cheaply.

When the Android Beta app launches later this year, we’ll probably see more phones get their own Android 12 beta apps. Often, companies like OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi and ASUS will release their own Android betas for one or two flagship devices this summer. Last year, we managed this around the time Beta 1 for Pixels ended up, around the time Google would have been I / O. These third-party releases can sometimes be a version behind the Pixels.

How do I install it?

Installing Google’s later Android Betas is easy: all you have to do is join the Android Beta Apps website. If you already look at the previews and betas, updates will also end up automatically. However, Google makes installing the previous developer previews a bit more difficult. I think a higher access limit helps to eliminate those that can not solve problems, which regularly occur with the preview versions, but it means that installing the developer previews is a more manual process.

Google provides instructions on how to flash images on its OTA download site, and the same details apply to previews. I would encourage you to find a breakthrough that is specific to your platform for the specific steps, such as installing ADB and sideloading an OTA. On some platforms, like Linux, this is easier done than others. But the short version is:

1. Install the Android SDK tools (ie ADB) and USB drivers (if you are using Windows).
2. Download the OTA image from the developer preview for your device. This link will redirect to the stable images for now, but once previews are available, it should work again.
3. Connect your phone to your computer.
4. Restart the recovery (via ADB / USB debugging or the key combination) and go to the sideloading mode – power + volume on open the recovery menu, scroll through the volume key to ‘apply update of ADB’ and select it with a tap on the power button.
   1. See if it worked by inserting “adb devices” (no quotes) into a shell or command prompt. If ADB is installed and your phone is in the right mode, you should see an identifier for your phone and a “sideload” condition is reported.
5. Flash the OTA via a shell or command prompt using ‘adb sideload your_file_name_here.zip’ without quotes, where the file name is the name of the OTA image you downloaded earlier. On some platforms you need to precede ADB commands with “./” to make it work properly.
6. Staring anxiously at your phone while it installs slowly.
7. Reload it when you are done.

You can also use the Android Flash Tool, which works directly from your browser (full instructions here). Last year, Google made it compatible with Developer Preview 2 and later, and we may see that happen later this year. It’s easier and works on multiple platforms – one of our readers humorously installed an Android 11 Developer Preview on a Pixel from another Pixel, which I’m still laughing about.

We should note that sometimes a new version of the Android SDK platform tool is required for a new version, so if you experience issues once the developer preview is available, you may want to check for updates. And while some of the guidelines you see claim that you need to unlock your boot loader to install the developer previews, this is not correct. OTA images can be easily uploaded without unlocking your bootloader.

Developer Preview Beta

Google’s timeline varies slightly and over the years different names are used. Back in Android 8 Oreo and Android 9 Pie we just got ‘Developer Previews’. With Android Q, Google decided to call everyone ‘Betas’. Last year we got a mix: Developer previews for the first few versions, Betas for the last few.

It’s possible that Google could play with the naming between Developer Previews and Betas with the Android 12 test releases – or they could even name something new. We’ve seen the company adjust this name regularly. However, I think last year was a good descriptive mix with the two different names as the versions went on, and it made clear how these test versions change over time. The early preview versions are less stable, prone to change and target developers, and things can go wrong. The later betas land after things start to settle, developers can expect stable behavior, no major additions, almost final or final APIs, and armchair enthusiasts may consider sticking their toes in without so much worry. I hope Google sticks to the same language for Android 12.

If so, you can expect a switch from developer previews to Betas somewhere in the middle of the schedule, just when Google I / O would be – not that we expect a custom I / O this year will not take place.

Lastly, I just want to point out (because a thousand people ask for it every time it happens), Preview and Beta updates are regularly broken contactless payments for a few days after their release. It’s one thing, it’s fixed almost within a few days, and it’s nothing to get excited about when it’s happening with every update.