Android 12 Is Now Available For Pixel Phones (theverge.com) 11
Today, Google has officially launched Android 12 for select Pixel devices. The Verge reports: It's available to install right now on Pixel 3 and up, including the Pixel 3A, Pixel 4, Pixel 4A, Pixel 4A 5G, the Pixel 5, and the Pixel 5A. It'll launch on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, as well. Android 12 will be coming later this year to Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices.
The most noticeable feature in Android 12 is the new Material You design, which lets you go a little deeper to tweak the look of the homescreen to your liking. It's more expressive than previous versions of Android, with tools to let you coordinate colors that can extend across app icons, pull-down menus, widgets, and more. Speaking of widgets, many of those have been updated to match the new look, and Google shared today that by the end of October, it plans to have over a dozen new or refreshed widgets available for its first-party apps. Google has published a blog post detailing more features available in this release, including the "Pixel-first" features like Material You.
The most noticeable feature in Android 12 is the new Material You design, which lets you go a little deeper to tweak the look of the homescreen to your liking. It's more expressive than previous versions of Android, with tools to let you coordinate colors that can extend across app icons, pull-down menus, widgets, and more. Speaking of widgets, many of those have been updated to match the new look, and Google shared today that by the end of October, it plans to have over a dozen new or refreshed widgets available for its first-party apps. Google has published a blog post detailing more features available in this release, including the "Pixel-first" features like Material You.
More change for the sake of change? (Score:4, Insightful)
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I'd call Android pretty mature at this point. There are some visual updates, sure, but I'm not seeing any wholesale changes to the UI - just a few more options for customization, for those that like to fiddle with such things. A number of the features actually seem like decent privacy enhancing updates, plus a few minor quality of life improvements.
That being said, there's nothing so exciting that I feel any need to download and install it immediately. I'm fine waiting for a while for other people to sha
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change for the sake of engineers keeping their jobs... which is basically the same
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Why do I wonder if this is yet more change for the sake of change?
I like the new control of permissions and better transfer of apps/settings/data etc. after buying a new phone. I probably get new phones more frequently than some people, though. My recent history (if I remember correctly): Pixel 3a XL -> Nokia 7.1 -> Pixel 4a -> Pixel 4a 5G -> Pixel 5a. I'm pretty tempted by the Pixel 6 Pro. Maybe the lack of a headphone jack isn't a deal breaker after all. I'm happy with my Pixel 5a, though, so I think I'll buy the Pixel 6 Pro for a friend. Maybe she won't li
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I tried out the beta, the UI upgrade is nice, some decent usability improvements. Overall the OS seems even smoother and battery life has been extended a bit.
I wish I hadn't upgraded (Score:1)
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One of the most important changes - ongoing with each release - which they don't even mention in the blog post - is the continuing effort to detach the OS from the hardware and update it via play store 'system updates', this started in Android 10. This should lead to phones from even the worst suppliers getting more updates and being more secure for longer. But it's still a work in progress.
No such thing (Score:2)
There exists a fantasy in people's minds that change is for the sake of change, that companies pour millions of dollars a year into paying developers just to change things because they have no other good way of setting money on fire.
The reality is change is seen as a progression. The unchanging becomes stale. For a technology company that means ultimately getting relegated to being an alsoran in favour of those companies who keep it "fresh", they are the ones labelled as an innovator.
No one makes change for
Re:Quick, patent it! (Score:4, Insightful)
They invented Nova Launcher, minus the ability to remove the search bar.
Must be a chip shortage...or Tensor. (Score:3)
Those homescreens look a bit strange to me. One of them clearly has the digital clock showing 9:30, and an analog clockface showing approximately 10:10. Well done, Google.