Karlston Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Google releases the first Developer Preview of Android 12 Google today announced the release of the first Developer Preview of Android 12, the next major update coming to Android devices. In this first preview release, Google has included a number of features around security and manageability. For example, Google has simplified password restrictions for managed devices with pre-set complexity levels of high, medium or low that will be used to access the devices. Google is also streamlining credential management for unmanaged devices. You can find the full details below. Simplifying password complexity For users on work profile devices, we’re introducing a more straightforward, modern approach to password restrictions. Instead of granular requirements that often result in easily forgotten passwords, we’re establishing pre-set complexity levels of high, medium or low that will be used to access the device. Easily set up a work security challenge We’ve improved the device setup process to prompt employees if their provided password doesn’t meet complexity requirements set by their admin. Users who receive a prompt can simply choose to increase the strength of their device password or set up a work security challenge to access apps in the work profile. If approved by IT, employees can also switch back to one password for both work and personal if they change their mind. Certificate management on unmanaged devices In Android 12, we’re streamlining credential management for unmanaged devices by making the process available to apps beside the device policy client. With this expanded credential management, more companies can extend secure access to employees regardless of their location, a key requirement in the COVID-19 era. Additionally, employees can avoid the cumbersome, manual process of installing certificates themselves. Enrollment-specific IDs for personal devices For employee-owned managed devices, we’re creating a new enterprise-specific device identifier that may help enhance privacy in the event an employee leaves their current employer. Instead of relying on hardware identifiers such as IMEI or serial numbers, personal devices will get a new identifier derived programmatically during enrollment. If you have a Pixel device today, you can download the Android 12 Developer Preview 1. Source: Google Google releases the first Developer Preview of Android 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 Android 12 beta launches – here are 9 important changes coming to your phone Google's Android 12 Developer Preview sheds light on new features ahead of a distant consumer release date (Image credit: Shutterstock / quietbits) The Android 12 beta is live, with Google announcing that the first official Android 12 Developer Preview is now available to adventurous app developers. While we're likely months from an Android 12 release date for consumers (last year's Android update launched September 8), today's beta sheds light on the changes coming to Android phones. You don't have to wait until Google IO 2021 to find out. Android 12 beta features include better-looking images vs standard JPEG files, faster and more responsive app notifications, and more privacy measures – or at least the promise to be more transparent about the use of your data. Google is also making app compatibility easier across devices like foldable phones and Android tablets. The 19 new Android 12 features outlined are split into three categories, according to Dave Burke, Google's VP of Engineering, who wrote a blog post about the changes. We've expanded upon them below with some more depth. First, how to get Android 12 – and why it's so difficult Downloading the Android 12 beta is not advised for consumers. This is strictly meant for experienced Android app developers, according to Burke – developer builds aren't always stable and may not play nice with your existing apps. To get Android 12 Developer Preview on your phone you must download it manually on a supported device. Right now Android 12 compatibility is limited to the Google Pixel 5, Pixel 4 and Pixel 4a series, or Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a series. "You can flash a factory image to your Pixel device, or you can sideload an OTA image to a Pixel device running Android 11, in which case you won’t need to unlock your bootloader or wipe data," says Burke. "Either way, once you’ve manually installed a preview build, you’ll automatically get future updates over-the-air for all later previews and Betas." Here's the dedicated page for how to download the Android 12 developer beta along with detailed instructions. An Android 12 public beta is coming for consumers down the line. Google expects to open up beta enrollments when it gets closer to shipping the final software. The top nine Android 12 beta changes 1. AVIF image support Android 12 is looking to ditch the older JPEG format for something that offers a higher image quality and more efficient compression. Enter AV1 Image File Format (AVIF). AVIF photos compressed to be the same size as JPEG won't show quality loss. 2. Compatible media transcoding While most camera apps capture video using the newer HEVC format for enhanced quality and compression purposes, apps that use older codecs can automatically transcode file into AVC, a format that is widely compatible. 3. Rich content insertion When upgrading to Android 12, it'll be easier to copy content, including rich content, from one app to another thanks to a new unified API that accepts from any source: clipboard, keyboard, or drag and drop, etc. 4. Haptic-coupled audio effect Apps will be able to provide audio-coupled haptic feedback through the phone's vibrator. Vibration strength and frequency are derived from an audio session, so developers can simulate rough terrain in a racing game, for example. 5. Multi-channel audio Android 12 will support MPEG-H playback in passthrough and offload mode, and the audio mixers, resamplers and effects have been optimized for up to 24 channels (the previous maximum was 8), according to Burke. 6. Android 12 will work better on tablets, foldables, and TVs It's been a while since we've seen Google care too much about tablet hardware, but the company is at least making an effort to have its software works on such devices, as well as TVs and foldable phones. The promise of ensuring tablet apps scale well will go a long way to rivaling the iPad. 7. Immersive mode improvements for gesture nav Google has simplified immersive mode so that gesture navigation is easier and more consistent. The example given is when you're watching a video, reading a book, or playing a game. It's still protecting apps from accidental gestures when in full-screen experiences, but in all other full-screen or immersive experiences the company is changing the default to allow users to navigate their phone with one swipe. 8. Notification UI updates Android 12 will refresh the notification design to make them more modern. What does this mean? In this developer first preview, the app drawer and controls will have new templates. It's also optimizing transitions and animations across the system to make them more smooth. 9. Faster, more responsive notifications To keep notifications responsive, Android 12 will block notification "trampolines" by preventing them from launching their target Activities, says Google, and it's asking developers to migrate away from this pattern. Android 12 beta launches – here are 9 important changes coming to your phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted February 18, 2021 Author Share Posted February 18, 2021 How to install the Android 12 Developer Preview right now Google today launched the first developer preview for the next major version of Android, Android 12, today. Unfortunately, the phrase 'developer preview' isn't the same as the word 'beta', so the Android Beta Program isn't open for the new OS just yet. As the name suggests, this is for developers, and it's not going to be very stable. Of course, early adopters can still get their hands on it, but you'll have to jump through a few hoops. With the Android Beta Program, it's as simple as enrolling your device and grabbing an OTA update; for a developer preview, you're going to have to flash an image on your phone. It's not a simple procedure, but that's why we're here. Note that if you follow these instructions, it will delete all of the data on your phone. Here's how you can get Android 12 on your phone right now: Prerequisites A Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, or Pixel 4 XL The Android 12 image for your device, which can be downloaded here Android platform-tools, which is most easily obtained by installing Android Studio You may also need the Google USB driver, which can be obtained through the SDK Manager in Android Studio. You can also manually get the driver here, just in case you need to install it via Device Manager. Prepping your device Turn on Developer options on your Pixel by going to Settings -> About phone, and pressing the build number seven times Go to Settings -> System -> Developer options Turn on OEM unlocking, type your PIN, and agree to the dialog box warning Turn on USB debugging, and agree to the dialog box warning Flashing the image Find the file path of the platform-tools folder Run CMD to open a Command Prompt Use a cd\ command to navigate to platform-tools (ex. cd\users\rwood\appdata\local\android\sdk\platform-tools) Run the command adb devices Agree to the warning on your phone, and check the box to trust your PC Run adb devices again, and make sure that your Pixel is listed Run adb reboot bootloader Run fastboot flashing unlock Use the volume keys on your phone to navigate through the fastboot menu, and press the power button to confirm that you want to unlock the bootloader Unzip the image that you downloaded earlier, and it will be easier if you just unzip it to the platform-tools folder, although it works from anywhere Use another cd\ command to navigate to where the image files are stored; if you unzipped them to platform-tools, you can skip this step Run flash-all Troubleshooting: If you run a command and you get a "waiting for devices" message, it's because your PC doesn't recognize your Pixel. Go to Device Manager and see if you can find where it shows as a broken device. From there, manually install the Google USB Driver. It should only take a few minutes, but your Pixel will eventually boot up with the Android 12 developer preview out-of-box-experience. Once that's done, it's recommended that you lock your bootloader again, for security purposes. Locking the bootloader Run adb reboot bootloader Run fastboot flashing lock That's it. You're free to enjoy Android 12. Google is going to have monthly updates for a while, so if this is too unstable for you, you can wait until March for the next one. Or, the Android Beta Program should start up this summer. How to install the Android 12 Developer Preview right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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