Android 12 is here, and while it might not revolutionize the way you use your smartphone, it certainly brings a fresh and vibrant look to the familiar Android experience. It’s more than just a cosmetic upgrade, with new features like a powerful search bar, a revamped privacy dashboard, and a revamped user interface. However, it remains to be seen when and how these changes will be implemented on devices from other manufacturers, leaving some users wondering if the new Android 12 experience is truly as transformative as it appears on Pixel devices. Let’s delve deeper into the world of Android 12 and uncover what makes it tick.
Material You: A Fresh Coat of Paint
The most notable change in Android 12 is its new design language, Material You. This update is all about personalization and bringing your phone’s aesthetics in line with your personal style. The Material You theme engine allows you to select a color palette for your phone based on your chosen wallpaper or simply opt for one of the system’s preset color options. This color theme will be applied to various elements of your phone like the quick settings toggles, app icons, and even the notifications shade.
Customizing Your Interface
One of the standout features of Material You is the ability to customize widgets. Google has introduced new customizable widgets for its own services like Keep, Calendar, and even a new Conversations widget for pinning active conversations from apps like WhatsApp and Slack. These widgets not only provide quick access to your frequently used apps, but they also enhance the cohesiveness of your home screen, ensuring a visually appealing and streamlined experience.
Privacy First: A Focus on Control
Android 12 reinforces its commitment to user privacy with several new features. The most notable addition is the Privacy Dashboard, which provides a comprehensive view of app permissions. You’ll be able to quickly glance at which apps have been accessing your camera, microphone, location, and other sensitive data over the past 24 hours. More importantly, you can easily revoke app permissions with a single tap, giving you granular control over your phone’s data access.
Visibility and Notifications
Android 12 also enhances the visibility of privacy-related activities. When an app is using your camera or microphone, you’ll see a themed icon at the top right corner of the display, offering a visual cue that your privacy is being accessed. This makes it easier for users to stay informed about when apps are accessing their devices and ensures greater transparency.
Notifications: A More Compact Experience
Android 12’s notifications have been redesigned for a more compact and visually appealing experience. Notifications now appear in a card-like format, offering a quick snapshot of the information. While this might be a welcome change for some users, it does mean that you’ll see less text within a notification. This change aims to reduce visual clutter and make notifications less intrusive.
Notifications History: A Missed Opportunity
While Android 12 introduces Notifications History, a feature eagerly requested by many users, it falls short of expectations in certain aspects. The history feature allows you to view a log of all your notifications, categorized as "Recently Dismissed" and "Last 24 Hours". However, it only displays the compacted notifications as seen in the tray, lacking the ability to access the original message or event. Meaning, clicking a notification in History won’t jump you to that specific message or event in the app; it merely takes you to the app’s notifications menu.
A Powerful Search Function
Android 12’s search bar within the app drawer has been tremendously improved. It allows you to search not only for apps but also for people and conversations within various apps. This means that with a single search, you can access conversations across different apps, making it easier to find the specific information you need.
Games Dashboard: A Gaming-Focused Addition
Android 12 introduces a Games Dashboard, a dedicated hub for gaming-related features. When enabled, it displays a floating widget that allows you to take screenshots, record gameplay, toggle Do Not Disturb mode, and even monitor your game’s frame rate (FPS). The dashboard also provides the option to live stream your gameplay directly to your YouTube account, enabling you to share your gaming experiences effortlessly.
The Pixel Experience: Exclusive Features
While Android 12 has many new features, some are currently exclusive to Pixel devices. The Monet theme engine, which dynamically generates color palettes based on your wallpaper, is one such exclusive feature. This innovative feature, though reported as being potentially open-sourced, is, for now, only available on Pixel devices. Similarly, some of the new Material You-themed widgets are also currently limited to Google-branded apps. This means that users of non-Pixel devices will need to wait for other manufacturers to implement these features or for Google to make them more widely available.
The Waiting Game: Android 12 on Other Devices
The rollout of Android 12 to devices from other manufacturers is still in progress. While several manufacturers have showcased their custom implementations of Android 12, they are largely still in beta stages and don’t reflect the full Pixel experience. For instance, Oppo’s ColorOS 12, Realme’s Realme UI 3.0, Samsung’s One UI 4.0, and OnePlus’ OxygenOS all offer their distinct interpretations of Android 12, with significant deviations from the Pixel version.
Hope for the Future
It’s important to remember that these custom implementations of Android 12 are still under development. There’s scope for changes and improvements before the final versions are released. While Android 12 is currently mainly available on Pixel devices, it is likely to be rolled out to a broader range of devices in the coming months.
Final Thoughts
Android 12, while not a radical overhaul, brings a wave of refinements and new features that enhances the user experience. The new design language, Material You, imparts visual vibrancy and a more streamlined UI. Focus on privacy through the Privacy Dashboard gives users greater control over their data. However, the exclusive availability of some features on Pixel devices raises questions about how the Android 12 experience will unfold on other devices. While there’s plenty to look forward to in the future, it is still too early to tell what the full impact of Android 12 will be on the wider Android ecosystem.
