Google announces first developer preview for Android 12

“In Android 12 we’re making the OS smarter, easier to use, and better performing, with privacy and security at the core. We’re also working to give you new tools for building great experiences for users, whether they’re using phones, laptops, tablets, TVs, or cars,” Dave Burke, VP of Engineering at Google, in the blog post.

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The new update brings slight changes to the user interface. For instance, dialogue boxes will now blur the background and make the interface look more modern overall.

“We’re refreshing notification designs to make them more modern, easier to use, and more functional. In this first preview you’ll notice changes from the drawer and controls to the templates themselves. We’re also optimizing transitions and animations across the system to make them more smooth. As part of the updates, for apps targeting Android 12 we’re decorating notifications with custom content with icons and expanded affordances to match all other notifications,” Burke said in a different blog post.

While the new version doesn’t bring big changes to Android, it includes support for the HEVC video format. Videos encoded in HEVC will automatically start working with the new update. Android 12 will also add support for spatial audio, while the AVIF image format is also going to be supported. AVIF is expected to be an update to JPG image formats, which have been the default for smartphones and desktops so far.

Further, Android 12 will also include certain privacy and security updates, which users may not see upfront. The software will reduce some tracking controls from apps, by using Google’s new “SameSite” cookie settings, which have been seen on the Chrome browser before.

Android 12 developer preview is available for the Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a/4a 5G, and the Pixel 5 smartphones.