Android 12 is so last week: Meet Android 12L, now in developer preview

Have you ever heard in regards to the new model of Android? No, not Android 12—that launched a whole week in the past! It is time to speak in regards to the new new model of Android: “Android 12L.”

Bear in mind all these talks we had a few mid-cycle, tablet-focused launch of Android that the group had unofficially dubbed “Android 12.1”? That launch is formally “Android 12L,” and it is out now as a developer preview.

Google began its shock announcement with some big-screen stats:

There are over 1 / 4 billion massive display units operating Android throughout tablets, foldables, and ChromeOS units. In simply the final 12 months we’ve seen almost 100 million new Android pill activations—a 20% YoY development, whereas ChromeOS, now the quickest rising desktop platform, grew by 92%. We’ve additionally seen Foldable units on the rise, with 12 months on 12 months development of over 265%! All instructed, there are over 250 million energetic massive display units operating Android. With the entire momentum, we’re persevering with to put money into making Android a fair higher OS on these units, for customers and builders.

The wildest new addition to Android is a taskbar on the backside of the display. Google says the bar will let customers “immediately change to favourite apps.” It appears like you’ll be able to pin shortcuts to the bar, however we have not heard something about latest or operating apps exhibiting up there. One GIF Google shared reveals {that a} everlasting bar filled with icons makes it very simple to enter split-screen mode—simply drag an icon out from the bar into both half of the show.

When you’re in split-screen mode, your two apps can be separated by a divider that seems to allow you to resize the home windows. Every app window has rounded corners, and the dock icons are sq.—an odd change on condition that Android 12 makes use of spherical corners on nearly the whole lot else.

The notification panel on telephones makes use of an expandable, accordion-style UI; you swipe down as soon as for the notification panel and swipe down once more to broaden the fast settings. On Android 12L, these two panels stay proper subsequent to one another, totally expanded, within the new dual-pane panel.

Google would actually like builders to make pill apps optimized for large screens, and to that finish, it has really helpful navigation patterns, a resizable emulator, and varied responsive UI APIs. One demo cycles by a number of really helpful show modes, like a single panel “telephone” format, an “unfolded foldable” format with a visual navigation panel subsequent to a large content material space, a “pill” mode with a dual-pane format, and a fair larger “desktop” format for Android on Chrome OS units.