Android 12 just went stable when Google introduced the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but the company is already releasing the next developer preview for the new OS. As we suspected, it's a small bumped up version, and it has just publicly been announced as "Android 12L" during the annual Android Developer Summit. The update is focused on optimizations for tablets and foldables, and it will go stable in early 2022.

Google calls this Android 12L release a feature drop, which is a terminology the company originally used for loose collections of new features coming to Pixel phones on a quarterly basis, usually paired with a security update (the last of which we've seen in June). Android 12L is a proper point release from our understanding with a new API level of its own, the first same-generation update to work like this since Android 8.1 Oreo in 2017. Given the number of novelties and all those new APIs that weren't included in base Android 12, that seems warranted.

What's new in Android 12L?

Android 12L optimizes and refines the UI for big screens, with improvements for notifications, quick settings, lockscreen, homescreen, and the Recents overview. Screens above 600dp will use a new two-column layout to use the extra space, with system apps and interface elements taking advantage of this from the get-go.

Android 12L two-pane notification shade

12L additionally includes significant multitasking improvements on big screens thanks to the inclusion of a taskbar. Like on Chrome OS and other desktop systems, it will allow you to pin a selection of your favorite apps for instant access and easy switching. The taskbar makes split-screen simpler to access, too — you can just drag and drop icons to either side of the screen to start the mode. Google will force-enable split-screen support for all apps, regardless of whether or not they're made resizable by developers, to ensure a consistent experience for users.

Android 12L multitasking anim

Google has improved the stability and further visuals to make sure this new forced scaling doesn't break anything. For example, the company offers a better letterboxing experience for apps that don't scale properly. Device manufacturers are able to tap into these options and set custom letterbox colors, adjust the position of the app window, and apply their own custom rounded corners.

New APIs in 12L allow apps to display multiple activities at once, called Activity embedding. It could allow you to have a Google Drive folder open on the left side and a PDF preview on the right or two Google Docs documents side-by-side, for example. This is supposed to work seamlessly on foldables, stacking and unstacking these views as you close or open a device. Apps can also hook into an API that makes them "fold-aware," allowing them to avoid displaying content on folds or hinges, or take advantage of these elements as natural separators.

Messages Android 12L anim

Along with all these improvements, Google also wants to make it easier for developers to build apps for larger screens. There are new APIs, tools, and guides helping them create fully adaptive apps that fit any display. Material Design guidelines explain how developers should accommodate the navigation bar across all screens, and how views should be able to dynamically adjust to look good on any screen. Google is especially pushing a TwoPane view for foldables, like the one you can see above in Google Messages.

Android 12L Material Design guidance

When and how can you get Android 12L?

Google says the update will first be available on the Android Emulator as part of Android Studio, but that the preview will come to Pixel phones as a beta later (presumably in December). A developer preview will also be available on the Lenovo P12 Pro. Since almost all new features focus exclusively on bigger screens, we probably won't see any big changes on regular phones, though. For now, the emulator requirement makes the release almost laser-focused on developers. Details on further developer preview availability will be published to the Android Developers website.

Android 12L will then be released to everyone "early next year," which would be "in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldables," Google says. The company is also heavily encouraging developers to get their apps optimized for big screens ahead of the date, which makes us feel like Google is really gearing up to introduce a foldable of its own.

Android VP of engineering Dave Burke may say the company decided to focus on bigger screens due to the exceptional growth of different bigger form factors, and it's true: There's 20% year-over-year growth in Android tablet activations, a 92% growth for Chrome OS, and a whopping 265% growth for foldables (probably because there were barely any foldables at all in the wild a year ago). However, Android 12L and the urgent language surrounding it make it highly likely that Google has hardware of its own in the works, and that it wants things to be perfect once it sees the light of day. The fact that Google is introducing many first-party interface changes to Android fits that narrative.

Android 12L window size classes

Other news

Google had some more developer-focused tidbits to announce during the event. For one, Material You is now available in Jetpack Compose, which will make it easier for developers to add its design and theming elements to their own apps. There are also new dynamic color guidelines, including a Figma design kit. Then there's news on the Google Play Academy front, which has announced a new certificate to help developers understand how they can make the most of their Play Store listings. Android users will indirectly benefit from these changes, with better apps at their disposal on the Play Store and (hopefully) more Material You design elements across third-party applications.