Google releases stable Android 12, Google announced the next iteration of Android, the Android 12, during the I/O 2021. After the announcement, Android 12 went through several rounds of developer previews and beta builds. Now, Google has released the stable build of Android 12, but there’s a catch.
The build released is for the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). However, the Google Pixel smartphones won’t be getting the update starting today. Instead, Google says that the Pixel smartphones will receive the Android 12 stable build in the next few weeks.
Google releases stable Android 12
Earlier this week, Google made Android 12 open-source, enabling OEMs to get Android 12 code for their skins. So, many brand-specific coats like Samsung’s OneUI, OnePlus’s OxygenOS, and Xiaomi’s MIUI will now be able to develop an Android-12 based version for their smartphones.
However, the update will not be coming to all older devices. Most companies will soon release a list of smartphones that have come out in the last 1-2 years to get an Android 12 update. While some brands may offer the update to many older devices, others may not. Here’s our expected list of phones that could get Android 12, sorted by famous brands.
It released the source code for Android 9 Pie on August 6, 2018, the exact date that the stable update went live for the first two generations of Pixel devices. Similarly, the Android ten regular updates rolled out for Pixel phones on September 3, 2019, and you soon followed it that same day by the source code being uploaded to AOSP. Last year, Google released the Android 11 source code on September 8, 2020, shortly after rolling out the stable update to Pixel phones that very same day. Thus, there’s a strong chance the Android 12 regular update will roll out for Pixel phones on October 4, 2021, as that’s the tentative release date for the Android 12 source code.
However, this date could change because Google has yet to announce the Android 12 release date officially. So if you’re wondering why the release date seems to be happening a bit later than in previous years, we, unfortunately, don’t have a definitive answer. However, it’s worth noting that Android 12 is a much more substantive release than the last few OS releases, so Google may need a bit more time to iron out all the kinks.
The company is also working on an interim maintenance release, the first Android point release in years. In any case, we won’t have to wait much longer to find out what Google’s plans are. So the only question left is, will the Pixel 6 series be announced before or after the Android 12 stable update?
It is to be noted that the Android 12 Stable Release has been scheduled for only selected devices currently available in the market. However, Google has covered most of the latest generations of phones from Motorola, One Plus, Samsung, and many more. To help out the readers, here is a complete list of all the phones compatible with the latest Android 12 OS. Some devices are likely to get the new Android 12 OS some days after its official release.
The Bottom Line
Android 11 offers a split-screen experience, where you can open two apps on your device simultaneously. For Android 12, 9to5Google said Google is working on an improved version called App Pairs. Currently, the split-screen effectively “pins” one app, but Android 12’s App Pairs system will group two apps as one “task” so you can choose two of your recently opened apps to become a pair. XDA Developers also showed this feature off after the preview landed.
Once paired, you should be able to toggle between using a different single app and the pair you created. 9to5Google shared a mockup of how the feature looks. (You can see it above. The left is Android 11 now. The right, however, shows how the recent view treats a pair as one joint activity.) Android 12’s App Pairs offers a divider, too, to let you adjust how much of the screen is used up by an app.
