Google will release the latest Android 12 beta in time.
Beta 3 of Android 12 provides features such as scrolling screenshots, faster universal app search on the device, and improved auto-rotation.
Google said that this version of Android 12 has “Android 12 API and official SDK”, which means that there should not be any major feature changes in the next beta version. This should mean that Android 12 is still on its way to release in the fall. The coolest new feature in Android 12 Beta 3 is better and faster auto-rotation.
Google is now using the front camera and facial recognition to determine which direction the phone is trying to maintain (rather than relying solely on the accelerometer). “This is particularly useful for people who use the device on the sofa or bed,” wrote Dave Burke, vice president of Android development.
This means you can lie on your side on the bed with your phone in a horizontal position. However, since the camera can judge that your face is also horizontal, it will remain vertical. Burke quickly pointed out that this facial recognition is done locally in Android 12 Private Computing, so the device will never save or send pictures.
Exciting features on stand
When I previewed Android 12 for the first time, I had to take a moment to explain what Android Private Computer Core (APCC) is-a a special security area of the operating system used to run algorithms that may contain sensitive data.
APCC’s notoriety in the initial statement clearly shows that Google intends to develop more Android features that may cause privacy issues.
Android 12 Beta 3 has a wild new way to handle auto-rotation: it uses face detection to match its orientation to your face so you can lie on your side and not have the phone auto-rotate when you’re holding it horizontally. Clever! https://t.co/YrAiQFTHJw pic.twitter.com/vF3K2XkyTK
— Dieter Bohn (@backlon) July 14, 2021
We see this hint here. As I wrote at the time, “This is a simpler way of thinking. If there is an artificial intelligence feature that you might find scary, Google is running it in APCC, so the options are limited.” Burke said Google “adjusted” and redesigned the animation and added a gesture recognition algorithm based on machine learning.
He claims that this will reduce the automatic rotation delay by 25%. In the past, Android’s automatic rotation function was very unstable and completely incompatible with manufacturers, so I hope these statements are true.
Better optimized Android update
Android users clapping their hands at the system level is a kind of Sequential scrolling screenshot, also called screenshots. This allows you to capture multiple screens in one picture.
For example, Android 12 has a new switch that allows you to turn off the camera or microphone for a short time. In Beta 3, it is responsible for your Company administrators for work (or government) phones can manage these switches and prevent you from accessing them when applicable to your device.
Google is also pushing developers to use new devices. The AppSearch search engine is on their apps and mobile phones. Developers can choose which parts of their applications to index for general searches on the device or other applications.
Google also recently announced that Android 12 would allow users to start playing games before the download. Like Beta 2, there are still some undisclosed small adjustments to be discovered.
And a few devices from Oppo, Realme, Sharp, OnePlus, etc. (but certainly not from Samsung). The final version of Android 12 first touched Pixel phones, but it may also affect some.
Google has increased the update speed of Android, but it still cannot match the speed seen on iOS.
Image courtesy of In Depth Tech Reviews/YouTube