At the same time as the official announcement of Android 12 at Google I/O, it was also announced that from now on, the beta version of Androis 12 can be installed on some models of Android phones to test and experience the new design of Android 12.

If you have installed it, you will feel very different BAV21WS-7 at first glance, because Android 12 adopts the new "Material You" design language, with integrated color matching, smooth animation, large and simple bubble buttons.. .Wait.

After starting from the appearance, Google also emphasized the important contents of the Android 12 update, including more personalization, more emphasis on privacy and security, and better multi-device linkage.

Owners of Asus, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, SHARP, TCL, Xiaomi, ZTE, and Pixel phones can try the update today. Go to the Android Beta Program webpage on your phone or computer to see if your device is supported and how to install it.

The current stable official version is expected to be launched in August and September. Most of the chances are that Pixel 5, 4a and other mobile phones can be updated. Calculating the time, Pixel 6 should be equipped with Android 12 as soon as it is launched.

Material You Design: Personalization, Lots of Color

Let's start with the exterior design.

Google calls this design direction "Material You", which is the biggest change in Android's visual history. Not only mobile phones, but all devices using Android OS will apply this style design (of course, how to integrate the manufacturer's own UI is another matter). matter).

From the name "Material You", we can know that personalization is its most important spirit.

First of all, users can use different color themes to express their personalization. The colors seem to be colorful, but they are all in the same color spectrum, so they are still visually consistent. It was also mentioned in the publication that when you change the wallpaper, the system will extract some colors in the photo, and then apply these colors to the buttons and icons to create themed color schemes.

The typography of the locked screen will also be adjusted automatically, for example, when there is no notification, the clock will automatically center and zoom in, and the large block of vision looks very comfortable. From the slide, I seem to see a new, very lively incoming call screen.

The large-scale vision is also reflected in the widgets. Some of the shapes of the new widgets become more rounded, and some become more lively, but the information in the shapes is simple, allowing users to grasp the information at a glance.

In addition, the new widget is also designed to change into a matching background color with the color of the tablecloth, and the widgets of Google services will be updated first. Ideally, the widgets will be arranged like a collage with different aspect ratios due to the screen size, and the color system will be automatically unified. However, because it requires the cooperation of the developers, and it is quite different from the existing design, it may still be used in the initial stage. There is a period of inconsistency.

Privacy and security: permission visualization, safe area to store sensitive information

Doing a good job in privacy and data security in the past two years has become obvious. Android has not emphasized protecting privacy since this year, but the new measures on Android 12 seem to be quite specific.

First of all, like iOS, when a program is calling functions such as camera, microphone, GPS, etc., it will be prompted with a small icon and a small green dot at the top to let you know if there are any apps that are activated without permission, and in the quick settings interface Inside, there will also be switches for the camera and microphone, allowing you to quickly turn off.

In addition, Android 12 will add the "Privacy Dashboard" function, which integrates the information of the calling permissions here, such as the camera, microphone, positioning, etc. used by which programs in the past 24 hours. If you feel it is inappropriate, you can also Manually adjust here now. This can be regarded as picking out more sensitive permissions, and visualizing the existing information to make it easier to read. Regarding positioning permissions, Android 12 will also provide the option of blurring the location, allowing users to choose whether to locate precisely or roughly.

Another new feature mentioned for the first time on Android 12 is "Private Compute Core".

Functions such as real-time subtitles, Now Playing, Smart Reply, etc. require AI to recognize voice, voice, message context and other information. These information are somewhat sensitive. Save/isolate in a secure partition of the device, instead of allowing information to circulate between the cloud and other parts of the device, to ensure privacy can still be maintained when AI or machine learning operates, a bit like fingerprints, passwords will have a security In the component, it is guaranteed.

Cross-device linkage: can be used as a remote control, car key, etc.

Android system is not only on mobile phones, but also the operating system of wearables, vehicles, TVs, set-top boxes, smart homes, etc., so it can be connected and linked with mobile phones, which is a function that should be well organized. There are several more specific, new cross-device operations mentioned on Android 12.

For example, there will be a remote control program in Android 12, which can control devices such as Android TV, Chromecast, etc., for example, slide the cursor on the mobile phone to select, operate back, volume, typing, etc.

In addition, Android 12 will also allow Android phones to use NFC and UWB technology as a digital key for the car and share it with family phones. It didn't go into much detail at the time of today's announcement, but mentioned that some select Pixle and Samsung Galaxy phones will be supported and will be available on BMW models in the future.

After Android 12, it can also communicate with ChromeOS. Chromebooks can directly browse the albums in Android 12 mobile phones through Wi-Fi Direct, or receive mobile phone notifications on Chromebooks, and even log in to laptop accounts on mobile phones. This seems a bit like a function between Samsung and Windows computers. But when it comes to cross-device... When will Apple's AirDrop and Google's "proximity sharing" be able to interoperate?

In addition, the article on the Android developer website also mentioned that Android 12 reduces the CPU work time when the system core is running by 22%, which makes the device more responsive. In addition, through system services, it also reduces the consumption of large CPU cores by 15%, which can save more power, and the speed of switching and starting programs is also improved.

It is conceivable that the most authentic support for the new features of Android 12 will be Pixle phones and Google services.

Next, we will see how mobile phone manufacturers and developers can optimize design and functions according to the characteristics of Android 12.