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The Android 12 Developer Preview lands today! Breaking with the expected schedule, Google has just pushed out our very first taste of the next version of Android, available now for the Pixel 3 series, 3a series, Pixel 4 series, Pixel 4a series, and the lonesome Pixel 5. Developers that this release actually targets can also get their Android 12 on via Android Studio's emulator.
Google may be experimenting with turning off one of Android's lesser-used features. Most folks don't know it, but you can half-drag a notification to bring up additional options for it. Once upon a time, you could use that to snooze notifications (and that has a new spot in Android 12), but now it's just a way to trigger the per-notification settings, just like a long-press. Well, given its functionality was both limited, non-intuitive, and a duplicate, it's probably no surprise that Google's experimenting with outright disabling it.
Android 12's new toggle design is big and bold and we're not sure what to think of it
But it's good for accessibility
This first developer preview has a ton of developer-facing changes, but fewer visual tweaks than we expected to see, given prior leaks. However, there are some notable visual changes, like these new toggles that appear in some sections of Settings. Weirdly, they don't replace the old toggles everywhere, but they are live in a few spots.
Android 12 release schedule: Expect monthly updates with three previews and four betas
Assuming everything goes according to plan
Together with the first Android 12 Developer Preview just earlier today, Google also published its schedule for Android 12 releases going forward. We can look forward to three total Developer Previews (or two more, counting today's), plus four Android Betas, all set to a monthly release cadence, with a final release set for some time after August.
Android 12 Developer Preview 1 is here, but it's not exactly easy to get. Because this first Android 12 version is meant for developers, Google isn't just making it an opt-in process like later beta versions will be. But, if you're willing to take the risk (and not get upset if and when things go wrong), here's where to get it.
Samsung's bringing some Galaxy S21 features to older phones with a software update
One UI 3.1 won't make your S20 into an S21, but you will get some of its features starting tonight
Samsung has just announced that it's officially bringing its Android 11-based One UI 3.1 software to older devices. Initially exclusive to the S21 series, this wider rollout includes the Galaxy S20 series, S10, Note10, Note20 series, Z Fold2, and Z Flip series, as well as some A-series phones. Better, that also means some features from the Galaxy S21 are trickling down to older devices with it, and the rollout starts tonight.
Android's Airdrop-like Nearby Share is starting to let you share apps, too
Now each and every one of us is the Play Store
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Last year, Google teased its Airdrop-like Nearby Share feature for months before finally landing, letting users wirelessly and locally share content like photos and videos, but also links and app intents. Back at the start of December we started hearing about a new feature for Nearby Share designed to extend that support to sharing entire apps. Now it looks like that functionality is finally starting to arrive in the Play Store.
Pixel 3a bug introduced in December 2020 update messes with the corners of the screen
It's a tiny issue, but you can't un-see it
Before smartphone makers switched to edge-to-edge, nearly bezel-less designs, we had a small transition. Some smartphones rounded-off the corners of their rectangular screens to emulate the high-end look. In many cases, these phones actually just had square displays, and the effect was done in software, or via masking in the front glass. That includes the Pixel 3a. And unfortunately for folks that own one, that software masking broke at the end of last year.
Donald Trump's official app has been suspended from the Google Play Store — here's why
Update: Google's statement
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Google has just taken down the Official Trump 2020 App from the Play Store. The company has since explained to us that the app ceased functioning correctly, and, after multiple attempts to contact the developer regarding these problems, Google elected to follow its policy to remove non-functional apps from the Play Store. Android Police can confirm that prior to the takedown, the app would get stuck on a loading screen and could not display content, reporting connectivity issues.
Wyze has opened pre-orders for its new Wyze Bulb Color. $35 (plus $8 for shipping) gets you four RGB-equipped, Assistant-compatible, 1,100-lumen color smart bulbs. That works out to $10.74 each, which makes them among the least expensive Assistant-integrated smart bulbs you can get, and they're set to ship next month.
Hardware failures may be to blame for increase in reports of Pixel camera issues
Pixels may have some of the best cameras, but they don't work for some
The Google Camera app, an exclusive to the company's Pixel phones, has seen a spate of one-star reviews on the Play Store recently. In fact, its overall rating has declined over the last year and a half from 3.8 stars to 3.3, and details in the bulk of complaints may indicate that the well-known Pixel camera curse is spreading to affect more devices. However, Google tells us there aren't any known app or software issues related to the problem, implying the apparent increase in customer complaints is due to hardware damage.
SHAREit app with over a billion installs suffers security vulnerability days before US ban
The executive order banning the app on Friday doesn't appear to have been reversed
The popular SHAREit app isn't just set to be banned in the US in the next three days; it was also apparently vulnerable to a (slightly convoluted) attack. The technical details are a bit of a slog, but in short, the app could indirectly allow for the execution of arbitrary code remotely, read or overwrite the app's local files, or even allow for third-party APKs to be installed. Developers of the app, which claims over a billion installs at the Play Store, were notified of the vulnerability three months ago, but according to Trend Micro, they haven't done anything to address it.
More Android 12 UI changes are coming, including some 'Material NEXT' tweaks
An evolution in Material Design
XDA is on a tear today, releasing piles of details divined about the upcoming Android 12 release. Among those planned is a general UI refresh for Android 12, seemingly overdue given the dialed-back changes in Android 11 last year. Beyond the new theming tweaks that have already been discussed, we can look forward to some lock screen tweaks (including adjustments to the Pixel's always-on display), notification and Quick Settings panel adjustments, an unknown "letterboxing" feature for framing apps inside a window, dynamic splash screens, and more, including an abstract "Material NEXT" aesthetic beyond current Material Theme designs.
Android 11 finally gave us the ability to resize picture-in-picture windows, but it's an inconsistent feature that's tough to trigger in its current form. According to our friends at XDA Developers, Android 12 will introduce new methods that should be a little easier to discover and trigger, including a double-tap, pinch-to-resize, and even a "stashing" feature that hides it to one side temporarily. Android 11's bubble notifications might also pick up new animations in Android 12.
Google may have given up the tasty treat names for Android, leaving us with a boring and slowly incrementing number, but the engineers working inside the company remain more fun than its marketing, and they've continued using those delicious names internally. According to the latest from XDA, Android 12's internal code name seems to be Snow Cone.
Carl Pei's new company bought the smoldering wreckage of Andy Rubin's short-lived Essential
Making something from Nothing?
According to a filing at the UK Intellectual Property Office (first spotted by 9to5Google), Carl Pei's new company Nothing has purchased Andy Rubin's Essential. The acquisition was completed on January 6th, and while Nothing's ultimate goals still remain frustratingly unclear beneath an obscured layer of fake viral social media hype, this could indicate that smartphones are a goal.
We spoke to the developer behind gReader, and here's what's happening
From ad complaints, to the new subscription model, and a promo code for former Pro owners
The developer behind gReader has broken his four-year silence regarding both the app's lack of updates, recent customer complaints regarding intrusive advertisements, and the move to a subscription model. We had the chance to talk to the developer about these changes and, in short, they considered it the only way to continue developing the app. However, although the old Pro version isn't available on the Play Store anymore, customers can still download it from the project's GitHub, and prior Pro owners will get a one-year subscription under the new model.
Weekend poll: Do you have an Android TV?
Built-in, dongle, box, or Google TV — the new one, not the Logitech thing from 2010
There are many smart TV platforms these days: the humble Roku, various Amazon Fire TV devices, Samsung's Tizen-based platform, screens with Android TV built-in, the Nvidia Shield, and even the (relatively) new Chromecast with Google TV. As the Android Police, we clearly care a little more about some of these platforms more than others. Given the apparent popularity of the new Chromecast among our readers, we're curious to know how many of you use an Android TV or Google TV device.
We're anxiously awaiting Google's first Android 12 preview release, which we expect may land in the next month or so. But even though we haven't seen it yet, plenty of details regarding the new release are public, between leaks and Google's own public plans. Right now, there are five big features we're looking forward to — assuming Google doesn't push any of them back (again).
Machine learning faces its toughest challenge yet: Discerning donuts from bagels
Google is hoping to fix ML-powered "weak spots" like this with a crowdsourced challenge
Machine learning may border on magic, and provide many of the biggest technical benefits we've enjoyed in the last decade, but it has plenty of "weak spots." One of Google's biggest concerns is that models are often trained using example data that's too easy to interpret, making them unprepared for the greater ambiguity of the real world. Case in point: Telling a donut from a bagel.