Google unveils a preview of Android 12L for developers

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Scheduled for release in early 2022, Android 12L optimizes the Android system user interface for large screens in anticipation of the next wave of tablets, foldables and Chromebooks.

The big ones

During the Android Dev Summit on October 27 and 28, Google presented the Android 12L version to developers. This is a preview of its Android 12 mobile platform optimizations for large screens. Scheduled for release in early 2022, Android 12L refines the Android system UI to optimize notifications, quick settings, lock screen, home screen, system apps and other parts of the system. operating for large screens. This special feature is for tablets, foldables, and ChromeOS devices.

Along with Android 12L, the Mountain View company is releasing additional APIs, other tools, and tips to make it easier to build Android apps for large screens. Changes are also being made to the Play app store to make it easier to discover apps for large screens.

Other features introduced

To make multitasking more powerful and intuitive, a taskbar on large screens lets users switch to favorite apps on the fly. Split-screen mode has been made easier to use. All apps are allowed to enter split-screen mode, whether they are resizable or not. Compatibility mode has been enhanced with visual and stability improvements to provide a better, more customizable mailbox experience.

Just drag and drop apps in split screen mode. (Credit: Android)

While Android 12L will work on smartphones, most of its features won’t be visible on small screens. Its release is planned to accompany the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldable devices. ‘Android Studio.

Adapt interfaces to all screens

The Android development team also worked on the Material You UI design language, the next step in Material Design, to adapt user interfaces to all screens. Developers are advised to provide a navigation UI suitable for the window size of the user’s device. For layout validation, a visual verification tool is being developed in Android Studio Chipmunk to dynamically surface UI warnings and suggestions.

Android is working on a user interface adapted to different screen sizes. (Credit: Android)

In Play, checks are added to assess the quality of apps based on the Large Screen App Quality Guidelines. However, apps will not be required to target Android 12L to meet Play’s requirements.