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.

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.