Android 12's first developer preview has been released!
Further evolution.
On February 18, local time, Google released the first developer preview of the latest mobile OS "Android 12". If you check this, you can get a glimpse of the upgrade contents of the next software scheduled for full-scale release later this year.
Features added in this preview version
This build isn't in its final form yet, with more features planned from spring to summer. This developer preview reveals improvements in media transcoding, faster notifications, enhanced app testing, and improved security and privacy features.
Google has added media transcoding capabilities to Android 12 to support rich content. Even apps that do not support the next-generation video compression standard "HEVC" can easily convert HEVC videos.
In addition, the AV1 image file format (AVIF) has been introduced to improve the overall image quality. AVIF has a high compression ratio, and the image quality at the same file size is dramatically improved compared to JPEG. In addition, a new API has been added that allows apps to receive rich content from the clipboard, keyboard, etc., making it easier to share content.
Significantly improved notification-related features
One of the highlights of this time is the significant improvement in the notification user interface and functions. The layout of the notification shade has been redesigned and the overall animation has been sped up. Google seems to want to speed up the launch of the app from the notification shade, and Android 12 recommends developers to launch the app directly instead of relying on the "notification trampoline" when launching the app.
From an app compatibility and stability perspective, Google plans to expand support for Project Mainline to provide more tools to help developers optimize their apps for tablets, foldable devices, and Android TV. In addition, it is also creating a switchable setting menu for all debugging.
Finally, to enhance user privacy, Google has added features such as controlling identifiers used for tracking, improving the behavior of cookies in WebView, and increasing security for apps that export activity.
For more information, please visit Google's Android 12 developer site here. The Android 12 preview announced this time can be downloaded and tested by anyone with a Pixel smartphone (Pixel 3 or 5), or you can use the Android Emulator in Android Studio. However, please note that it is not intended for general users, but for power users such as developers!