The first Android 12 Developer Preview was released last week and according to XDA’s Mishaal Rahman, it has a hidden user interface similar to Samsung’s One UI. For those who do not know a single user interface, the software is designed to bring interface elements such as buttons, switches, ticks, icons, slides, progress bars and more closer to the bottom of the screen. This way, users do not have to perform calisthenics with their fingers to type one of these elements in the upper parts of the screen.
A tweet from @ThatJoeHindy reveals that a new system is setting up UI surfaces with elements placed at the bottom of the screen by enabling a hidden ‘Silky home’ flag. Go to adb shell settings place global settings_silky_home true. The flag-enabled version of the user interface allows the content to be moved lower to the bottom of the screen to allow one-handed use.
The Android 12 UI without the flag activated
There is no guarantee that the “Silky home” mode will be part of the stable version of Android 12. More exciting, however, is the possibility that taking care of a larger Android screen like this feature is a sign that Google will be launching a Pixel 6 XL model this year. So far, there is no indication that it is in the cards, and there are other Android phones with large screens that can use a user interface with more accessible elements. But many of these are Samsung models that are already powered by Samsung’s One UI. Eliminate Samsung from the equation and improve the odds in favor of a Pixel 6 XL.
When the flag is turned on, Android 12’s settings UI looks like Samsung’s One UI