Top 5 Android 12 features found in first developer beta

Although it is not meant as a user-facing build, a lot has already been revealed when it comes to major changes in the UI and features.

Android 12. (Google)

Google has finally made its upcoming Android operating system, Android 12, official as it has released the first developer beta for select handsets. Although it is not meant as a user-facing build, a lot has already been revealed when it comes to major changes in the UI and features. If you are a developer and have a pretty good idea of what you are doing, only then it is suggested to install this version. Otherwise, the public beta versions will anyway arrive soon. So, here are some of the big features that you can expect.

Media player UI gets a revamp

As listed by XDA, the media player has got a new UI. Besides a greater prominence to the controls and album art, the interface has changed on both lock screen and when using the Quick Settings/Notification panel. It has become slightly larger in size with easy controls to connect wireless headphones.

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Notification shade redesigned this time

Android 12 brings a more transparent notification shade. In addition, the app notification text is bigger and there is also some spacing between the top of the notification shade and quick settings toggle, which gives a more spacious look. In addition, there is a small clock icon for each notification that launches the snooze menu. It's better than swiping the entire notification to get the same option.

WiFi password sharing gets easier

In Android 12 Developer Beta 1 you can now share Wi-Fi password as a QR code, which means without revealing the actual password, and using the Nearby sharing feature as well. The ‘Nearby' toggle can be seen on the same screen as the QR code. This saves the effort of sharing the QR code with third party apps.

Easier one-handed mode

As spotted by XDA Developers, a similar one-handed mode as Samsung's OneUI 3.0 version, is visible in Android 12. There are larger spaces at the top of the screen, with the majority of the interaction happening in the bottom half, making features easily accessible. There is something called as ‘Silky Home' that pushes the content further down for easier access.

Focus on widgets

Also found in Android 12 Developer Beta 1 is the stacking of different cards inside the same widget. This is something we have seen in iOS 14 wherein the smart widgets can show different stacks of different apps when you scroll up and down. On Android 12, things are the same, but on sideways scrolling.