Android 12: All You Need To Know (II)

Image: Google

Recall from the last post that Google's Android platform presently happens to be the most-used mobile OS in the world, with a towering figure of about 3 billion active Android phones, representing over 38 percent (one-third) of the world's population. As we continue to consider all you need to know about Android 12 from the last post, do recall that we have already reviewed the following features:

1. Material You and other new design features

• Color Extraction

• Widget Emphasis

• Quick Settings Tiles

• Settings

• Notifications and other changes
  
  

2. New features

Android 12 comes with fantastic new features for an ultimate user experience. The new features add serious bite to the OS that every user will fall in love with.

• Scrolling Screenshots
  
  
  Scrolling screenshots is now officially supported. This feature allows you to take a screenshot and then use the Capture More button to see the full screenshot by scrolling it. It enables you to crop the image from there. The functionality also allows you to edit the screenshot by adding text and other details.

• AppSearch
  
  
  AppSearch can help you search for things within apps and return results from the apps. For example, if you search for an image in an app, the search will direct you to that image without entering the app. AppSearch can work offline, too, and the usefulness is immense. According to Google, AppSearch delivers results faster than in-device search while using fewer resources in the process.

• Upgraded auto-rotate
  
  
  The enhanced auto-rotate of Android 12 is a game-changer. Unlike the auto-rotate used in the past that uses your phone’s accelerometer, Android 12’s auto-rotate uses face detection. The phone looks at the user’s face and only rotates the phone when it sees your phone has changed its orientation. Hence when you lay in bed on your side, your phone won’t annoyingly turn but will watch your face to know when best to rotate.

• Seamless Wi-Fi sharing
  
  
  Wi-Fi sharing experience little change because it still uses QR code like the old Android versions. Now, it features a small button below that allows users to use Nearby Share to send their Wi-Fi credentials to another phone. It shares with multiple people faster than before without asking you to hold your phone up for others to scan. 

• One-handed mode
  
  
  With ease, you can operate your phone with just one hand with the Android 12 One-handed mode. With the mode, you can reach anything with one hand, especially on taller phones. The mode cuts everything down to half size, making it look like multi-window mode, only that the top half of the screen is blank. 

• Rich content insertion
  
  
  This feature is an API for developers that allows their apps to move media between apps. You can easily copy and paste different media items like images from app A to app B. You can also move marked-up text, audio files, videos, etc.

• Audio selection in the media player
  
  
  You can easily change your audio source with this feature. You can quickly switch from your Bluetooth speaker to a phone’s speaker by pressing a single button.

• Overview suggestions
  
  
  This newly added overview suggestions feature allows you to see suggestions for things to do. For example, if you opened your browser while on another app, your recent apps may suggest you copy the link to the page you have up for easier sharing.

• Other minor additions
  
  
  There are little additions here and there with Android 12, and these include a load of new emoji, a screen dimming mode, tweaked gesture controls, etc.
  
  

3. New Under-the-hood features

Different Android version features various under-the-hood changes too long to mention. The changes are primarily new APIs for developers for the ultimate performance of apps. These include things you can’t easily see, and these include:

• Haptic feedback coupled with audio.
  
  
  Primarily used in gaming, this feature vibrates in response to whatever is happening on your screen. For example, while playing a game, if there is a crash or explosion, the phone vibrates. Besides gaming, the feature is also used in movies or syncing vibration with custom ringtones.

• App hibernation
  
  
  When apps are unused over time, Android 12 houses them in the new, unused app section and puts them to sleep. They will be inactive until you use them again. You can also apply per-app basis.

• Game Mode APIs
  
  
  The new Game Mode APIs of Android 12 for developers allows developers to add variable performance functions to your for easier optimization. For example, a developer can have a mode that lowers performance but save battery life.

To be continued....

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