The third preview of the Android 12 developer has arrived, and its host of updates includes new tools at the operating system level to help application developers take more advantage of the camera and haptic hardware found in the flagship modern Android. Application launch animations, call notifications, and connection between applications are among the changes made in this release.
It’s a developer-focused beta, which means a lot of it could change before the full release of Android 12 later this year. However, it’s likely to be the last preview before Android 12 enters beta next month and receives an official presentation at Google I / O, which means that the preview should provide some useful hints about Google’s priorities for the next one. major version of Android.
First, the preview gives developers more options on how to provide haptic feedback in their applications, an important development given the great progress that Apple has made with haptic feedback on its devices. Google says these new haptic feedback options should help with everything from UI events to in-game effects. The APIs are optimized for the Pixel 4 right now, and Google says it’s working with other vendors to extend support across multiple devices.
There is also better camera support for high-resolution sensors, such as those with Quad or Nona Bayer models, such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Platform-level APIs will help developers make better use of these cameras, says Google, which should translate into better performance from third-party camera applications.
There are also some changes to the overall look of Android. Call notifications receive a new template to make them more visible, easier to understand at a glance, and more consistent with other notifications. The way Android handles links to certain apps also changes to open your browser by default, rather than the standard app selection dialog. Finally, application launch animations are also transformed, including new spring screens.
There are also many other changes under the hood that Google makes with the third developer preview, touching everything from how apps deliver alarms to machine learning and debugging options. If you’re a developer, you can now get the new preview from the Google developer site for Pixel 3 and later (otherwise you’ll get the new preview as an update if you’re already running the developer preview). The new preview is also available in Google’s Android emulator.