9 new features on Android 12 that you need to know about

These 9 confirmed features on Android 12 will make you want an update as quick as possible.

Enthusiasts got their first taste of Android 12 yesterday when Google released the first Developer Preview of its next mobile operating system. The developer preview is available only for a handful of devices so far. However, thanks to the build, we now have a list of confirmed features that will make it to Android 12.

These features largely revolve around how users will handle media on the new update and also some changes with the design language. There are also changes to haptic feedback, privacy elements and also better functionality for gaming controllers.  Here are all the features explained in detail.

Redesigned Settings Page

The settings panel has seen a changed look and smaller search bar compared to previous Android versions. Some of the new toggles on the build also look revamped. The new design makes it easier to tell if a quick setting toggle is on or off.

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Audio Source Selection

Android 12 allows you to change the mini music player control window that appears in the quick settings. The player now allows operation with only selected apps. Users can long-press the player notification and head into settings to turn on or off the apps with which they want the player to function.

Android updates via Google Play

Users will now see System updates show up in the Google Play store since the company is adding Android Runtime (ART) to Project Mainline, the system updates program. Google also plans to add more module updates via the Play Store in the future.

Improved notifications

Android 12’s notification system will be revamped to improve the look and feel of the notification interface as well as its usability and efficiency. New animations and transitions are used when replying to notifications and interacting with them.

Rich content insertion

Google will allow users larger control over rich media through the keyboard and clipboard. Plain and styled text, images, videos, audio files and other elements will be supported. This will increase the speed of sharing files with other users or through other apps.

One-handed mode

A new One Hand mode was also spotted in Android 12. The implementation shows larger spaces on the top of the screen with the interactive elements refocused to the bottom of the display. The feature will be handy on phones with bigger screens.

AVIF image support

AVIF is an improved image format that promises better quality over JPEG without making the file size too big. The new format, that uses open-source video codec AV1 and could perhaps replace the JPEG image compression in the future.

Multi-page widgets

Widgets on Android 12 can feature multiple card pages in the same widget, which can be accessed by scrolling sideways. This will make widgets with a lot of information easier to read, also making them less cluttered.

Video transcoding for unsupported apps

Google is set to introduce a new transcoding layer in Android 12 that will also let apps that do not support the HEVC video compression standard, to transcode the file in AVC. The process will however take time depending upon the processing power of your chipset.