Google has started rolling Android 12 for Pixel phones, the Alphabet Inc-owned company announced during Tuesday’s Pixel Fall Launch event.
The California-based tech giant first released the latest Android version as a developer preview in February and detailed it at the Google I/O developer conference in May. Earlier this month, Google made the Android 12 source code available to the Android Open Source Project.
Google has introduced in Android 12 a new design language — Material You — aimed at enhancing personalisation. The updated operating system also includes fluid motion and animations for a fresh user experience.
Additionally, there are new privacy controls, including approximate location sharing with third-party apps.
Google has claimed the Android 12’s power efficiency would optimise overall user experience. The update also includes underlying improvements that cut the CPU time needed for core system services by 22% for a faster and more responsive experience.
Several privacy-focussed changes have also been incorporated in Android 12 to give users more control over privacy. The new Privacy Dashboard shows permission settings and the data being accessed by apps. A new indicator on the top-right corner signals when an app accesses the camera or built-in microphone.
Android 12 also delivers faster machine learning experiences, Google said. Support for AV1 Image File Format to improve image quality for the same file size has also been introduced. Additionally, the update features a compatible media transcoding feature that improves video compression and quality.
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Google is rolling out Android 12 for Pixel phones, including the Pixel 3, Pixel 3A, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3A XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4A, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4A 5G, and the Pixel 5. Once the update reaches the Pixel phone, users will get a notification to download it. Users can also check the availability manually from the System section.
Android 12 will also be available to devices manufactured by OnePlus, Samsung, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, Tecno, and Xiaomi. The upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will come preinstalled with the latest Android 12.