Biggest Android update in years will launch soon, but Samsung fans miss out for now
GOOGLE appears to be almost ready to unleash its blockbuster Android 12 update to millions of users across the globe but some phones, including those made by Samsung, won't get the upgrade until later this year.
Android 12 was first announced back in May, when Google promised that it would bring "the biggest design change in Android's history." This all-new operating system gets a massive lick of paint, enabling users able to customise the on-screen appearance like never before. And now, it looks as if some users are one-step closer to seeing the changes arrive on their devices.
Since it was first revealed during the I/O developer conference, Google has been busy testing out this blockbuster upgrade via its beta programme, and now, it seems the Mountain View-based firm is ready to push things out to the general public. In a recent entry on its company blog, Google said: "Keep an eye out for Android 12 coming to a device near you starting with Pixel in the next few weeks."
That's clearly great news if you happen to have a Google-branded Pixel in your pocket with owners of these phones looking set to see the changes this month but what about everyone else?
It's no surprise that Pixel phones are getting Android 12 first as this is nearly always the case with all new operating system upgrades from Google. However, there's still no official word on when other devices from the likes of Samsung, Oppo and OnePlus will follow but things could be rolled out faster than in previous years.
Google says that Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices should all receive Android 12 sometime later this year. In the past, Samsung has often released these big changes up to six months after Google first begins its rollout - hopefully, that won't be the case in 2021.
Once it does launch, users will see some big changes with Android 12 bringing a whole new look and a swathe of options to help users customise their devices via something called Material You. Using what Google calls colour extraction, users choose their wallpaper and the system will then automatically work out which colours are dominant, which ones are complementary and which ones will look the best on the homescreen. Things will then be transformed without the user touching a single setting.
Not only that, widgets have also been updated to be more user friendly and an upgrade to the performance should make things feel more snappy and have less of an impact on battery life.
Android 12 includes new features that give you more transparency around which apps are accessing your data, and more controls so you can make informed choices about how much private information your apps can access.
The new Privacy Dashboard offers a single view into your permissions settings as well as what data is being accessed, how often and by which apps. It also lets you easily revoke app permissions right from the dashboard.
Google is also giving Android 12 users more control over how much information they share with apps. With new approximate location permissions, apps can be limited to seeing just approximate locations instead of a precise one.