Google releases Android 12 developer preview v1.0

Search engine giant Google has released the much-awaited Android 12 preview to registered developers, thus setting the ball rolling for public testing and weed out bugs.

"With each version, we’re working to make the OS smarter, easier to use, and better performing, with privacy and security at the core. In Android 12 we’re also working to give you new tools for building great experiences for users. Starting with things like compatible media transcoding, which helps your app to work with the latest video formats if you don’t already support them, and easier copy/paste of rich content into your apps, like images and videos. We’re also adding privacy protections and optimizing performance to keep your apps responsive," Dave Burke, VP of Engineering, Android, Google said.

For now, Android 12 developer preview 1 is being rolled to select devices-- Pixel 3, 3 XL, Pixel 3a, 3a XL, Pixel 4, 4 XL, Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and Pixel 5 series.

The second and third preview versions will be rolled out in phases in March and April and followed by public betas in May, June, July, August, and finally, the public version is expected to release in September.

Google has not detailed all the key features of the Android 12 but has revealed some including improvement in security, faster and responsive notification, support for AV1 Image File Format (AVIF). AVIF is a container format for images and sequences of images encoded using AV1.

Also, Android 12 will allow apps to provide audio-coupled haptic feedback through the phone's vibrator. It will improve the immersive mode so that gesture navigation is easier and more consistent.

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