Android 12 OS Unveiled - First Impressions

 Introduction

Being a cosmetic update, when compared to iOS 14 or 15, Android 12 has retained almost all the features of its predecessor. Hence, it will not change the way the customers use it. However, there is some change in its design and interface to incorporate some new features. In this article, we will walk the avid readers through the details of Android 12 features.

Ease of Update

The Android 12 installation for the Google smartphone is easy as it is available as a software update after the Pixel 6 launch. The memory space of the file doing the software update is about 1.69GB. Hence, it is manageable and workable on an average mid-range smartphone. The software performance appears to be far better in Android 12 when compared to that in Android 11.

1. Lock-screen: After an update, the new operating system takes the user to the lock screen that has a bold digital clock on the top-left corner and a fancy animation on the lock screen. This animation persists even when you press the unlock button to visit the landing page or the power button to put the device to sleep.
2. Notifications: They appear in a compact form in the card-like layout. Hence, there is very little text to read in this form unless the user expands the notification. Though the incoming notifications display is not changed, there is a complete change in the layout of Quick Settings toggles. This layout change is in tune with the Material You Design philosophy. Though some rubbish this change as a terrible wasting of space, the new display features large and well-spaced-out buttons. The Android 12 also comes with the Notification History option. The option for this appears as a button at the bottom of the notification tray. When the user taps this button, a separate section opens up for classifying and displaying notifications. The notifications either come under Recently dismissed or Last 24 hours.
3. Home Screen: This landing page has received the lion's share of the User Interface makeover. The user can access the Style new Widget and Wallpaper menus with a long-press. The user can either go with the default colors or the system-generated color palette and theme to make the landing page appealing. The system-generated color palette and the associated theme change with the wallpaper colors. The user can change the look and feel of the system application icons with the help of a toggle button. Apart from these, the home screen also has the widget menu for displaying the Android widgets, the new Conversation widget, and other third-party application widgets. The customer can access the Android 12 theming engine with the help of Style and Wallpaper menus.
4. Conversation Widget: This pins and brings the recent and active conversations from an app to the home screen. The widget updates itself whenever it receives new chats. This widget works excellently with WhatsApp and Slack. The user needs to click on the respective app to initiate the conversation.
5. Search Bar: The process of searching has become very powerful as the users can search people, apps, conversations, and messages. Clicking on the message button takes the user directly to the chat window of the chosen app. However, the search results depend on the timeline of your conversations with your contacts.
6. Privacy: The tapping of the privacy button in the settings shows all privacy-related controls. This privacy dashboard shows the details of the apps that access the microphone, camera, and location features of smartphones. The simple swiping across a toggle button revokes access to a microphone, camera, or any other third-party application.
7. Camera or Recorder: The opening of this app results in the display of the theme-matched icon at its top-right corner. This icon with a dot lets the user know whether other external applications use cameras or microphones.
8. Gaming Dashboard: It is a floating widget that features all gaming-related apps. Once enabled, it helps the customer record a game, take a screenshot, monitor the fps, and toggle DND while playing games. The app can also live stream gameplay to the user's YouTube account.
9. Power/Unlock Button: The menu associated with the Power Button in Android 11 had access to IoT devices and payment options. However, these functions are absent in the Android 12 OS. Therefore, the long-pressing of this button in the new version of Android results in the opening of pop-ups with Lockdown, Emergency Call, Restart, and Power Off buttons.
10. Settings: Though the menu items spread out in tune with the Material You Design philosophy, their functionalities remain the same.

Disadvantages

The user can access the Settings shortcut for the notifications only after an additional swipe across the toggle. So, one needs to put the Settings icon on the home screen for frequent access. The manufacturers need to fix Some bugs. Since the widget displays are theme-based, theming engine in Android 12 needs a complete phone restart to reflect the changes after the theme change. It is mainly due to the retention of some apps in older themes. The same is true for some home screen widgets that do not automatically update after a theme change. Battery life may become a source of concern after software updates. So far, we know nothing about these interface changes that will land on mobiles from other manufacturers. At present, the manufacturers seem to have designed the Monet theme keeping in mind the Pixel devices. However, we can expect the search engine behemoth to bring in the newer versions of Android OS that work on other Android mobile devices. The same is true about the privacy features. Like the Digital Wellbeing, which is available on all Android smartphones, these features will also become compatible with other Android smartphones.