Today, Android 12 Beta 4 lands, and we're getting to the point that "Beta" means a lot less than it did before. On top of that, this Beta release is also coming to some devices from manufacturers like ASUS, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Sharp, and ZTE, so folks on more devices can enjoy testing it.

This release marks the so-called "platform stability" milestone. While that doesn't mean it's bug-free, developers can now rely on the behaviors and changes in Android 12 to stay mostly consistent going forward. I suspect we'll still see a few more changes and surprises, but consumers can also probably expect the final result to be close to what you see today. Outside any last-minute bug-fixing updates, there's just one more potential "release candidate" build standing between us and stable, according to Google's original schedule.

A mere one dot separates us now from "Final Release." 

As per yooj, most of Google's announcement pertains to developers with things like final APIs and behavior changes they should review and begin testing. Google recommends developers get compatibility set sooner rather than later for the upcoming release, so app updates for the new platform are ready. If history is any indicator, this is a warning that will be ignored by far too many app makers.

There is one feature change that Google is announcing in Beta 4's release notes, and that's the rollout of the Google Play Services Ad ID changes, which will swap your ID for a string of zeros if you opt-out of personalization. Google also claims there are a TON of fixes for things from notifications being unable to be dismissed, broken theme colors, and a Quick Settings grid alignment issue, all among a lot more. With the bugs I ran into during the last Beta release, I can corroborate that Google still had some stability issues to iron out before launch.

There could be (read: probably are) some other changes Google didn't mention, and we'll be sure to point out those we spot in our upcoming Android 12 coverage.

For Pixel owners that have already opted in on the Android Beta Program, today's update will roll out in the traditional manner via OTAs, but you can also play around with a GSI or the emulator in Android Studio. New arrivals to Android 12's shores hoping to get an early glimpse can still opt-in; it's not too late. Beta 4 is also coming to Android TV for the ADT-3 devkit.

There's no specific word yet on which devices from the other OEMs will enjoy Beta 4, but we should know and tell you soon if we don't legitimately die under the weight of today's embargos (please send help).