The Android 12 beta is here, and after using it, we’ve decided which of its features work and which don’t.
The Android 12 beta is here – well, here for some users, depending on your device, and it’s probably not worth downloading unless you’ve got a Pixel phone. We’ve downloaded it, upgraded our phone, and sidestepped the queues to test out the new Android operating system (OS). We set up a fresh Google Pixel 4a 5G (i.e., one that wasn’t already full of our apps and data) and downloaded the Android 12 beta, then spent several hours trawling through menus and apps trying to see what’s new. We didn’t need to spend hours, there’s not much here. In the spirit of our similar iPadOS 14 feature, we’ve categorized what’s new (or changed) into the good, the bad and, this time, into what we’ve already seen done before by other phone makers, particularly Motorola. Lots of the announced Android 12 features aren’t here (even ones listed in the official beta features list) so this is just a snapshot of the initial beta build – it’s likely the OS will change over time and bring some of these new features. Android 12 is basically one main feature with loads of small extras, and that big selling point is Material You. This is a way of tailoring the design of the operating system, including the color scheme and shape of apps and menus, to customize it how you want. Sure, you’re about to read more about Material You in the next section of this article, but for what it’s worth, we managed to create some pretty lovely-looking user interfaces. We successfully ditched the stock Android 12 look while retaining some of its DNA, even when using the pre-installed wallpaper images as a basis. Check out some of the menus and home pages we designed above to see. The list of fonts and colors is rather limited right now, and all of the colors fit into a broad palette, but hopefully the options will expand with time.
