What’s new in Android 12?

It doesn’t matter if you’re a new user of Android or an old fan; it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the latest software versions. Here are the top updates coming in the following mobile operating system version.

New Material Design

Unlike most operating systems, Material You is not just a wallpaper selector. You can customize your home screen, app icons, and settings with great precision.

Material You is the most important feature of Android 12. Material You is not an alternative to the traditional round icons but a redesign and rebranding of Material Design that Google introduced with its Pixel phones. The new design is user-centered and feature-centered. This is not just a skin for your smartphone; it’s a new design language that can be used across all devices, apps, and the web. This bold move paid off, with more attention to the latest Google phones.

This feature applies to Android 12 phones. It’s also being extended to all Google apps. You can see the Material You style via Google Photos and some third-party applications. The functionality continues beyond the phone. Material can be used to improve the functionality of Google’s keyboard, cameras, and calculator.

Material You also includes a new UI tool to personalize your Android. You can alter the colors and tone of your UI elements and the UI elements’ backgrounds. It’s straightforward to set it up. You can choose the colors that correspond to your wallpaper.

Material You is the most advanced customization option in Android. Material You can customize your phone and apps with great accuracy. Additionally, you can see the results of your customizations in your notifications.

Privacy Dashboard

For those who recently installed Android 12, the Privacy Dashboard for Android 12 might interest you. This feature allows you to see a visual representation of app permissions to visualize which data is being accessed.

Privacy Dashboard for Android allows you to display a visual representation of permissions and enable you to disable permissions. You can turn off sensitive permissions like camera or location in your Settings menu.

The Privacy Dashboard can be downloaded and installed on your Android phone for free. It displays the apps that have accessed the specific permission in the past 24 hours and the duration of the consent. It shows your call logs, calendar data, physical activity, contact information, and other nearby devices.

The Privacy Dashboard for Android is not new. However, it’s not only the latest feature of Android 12. Google has also included microphone access indicators in its platform. This makes it easy to identify which apps are using the microphone. This feature can also determine which apps are using the camera.

You can also purchase the app in-app, which allows you to support its developer. You can also purchase an in-app subscription if you don’t wish to donate to the developer. This will enable you to get more information about the app and its functions.

Privacy Dashboard for Android is a simplified interface. The timeline and circular ring display indicate which apps have accessed your data. It also shows you when permission has been used. Unlike the Apple Privacy Dashboard, the Android version doesn’t give you an exact date when permission was accessed.

Recording indicators

Camera and microphone access indicators are two of the new features in Android 12. You can use the Recording Indicators feature to see when your microphone or camera is accessed without your consent. Two icons are used to identify the indicator. The first is a small green dot that appears in the notification bar while the sensor is active.

The second icon is a small icon located at the top-right corner of your screen. This indicator shows that an app has microphone access to your phone. You can customize the icon by changing its size and location.

Google has also created an app called “Camic Viewer,” which shows which hardware and function an application uses. When they are active, it displays a mic icon and a camera icon. This app allows you to track the usage of these features and shows how many times they have been used.

Google’s latest mobile OS also includes privacy dashboards. This feature allows you to track which apps have accessed your data and whether they were malicious. This feature also shows you a timeline of all the apps that have used the device and how many API calls they have made.

These features and other privacy measures have been a welcome addition to Android users. They are easy to use and help protect your personal data. They allow you to see which apps use your phone’s camera or microphone and decide whether to grant permission.

Bluetooth scanning

Android 12 introduces Bluetooth scanning. It also offers privacy enhancements. It will restrict the usage of location permissions by apps. This is a positive step since many were concerned about the privacy implications of Bluetooth tracing in Android on their personal data.

Users had previously accused specific Bluetooth-based COVID-19 contacts tracing apps of tracking them. Android 11 could do this, but it is impossible in Android 12. Android 12 will allow apps that require Bluetooth scanning to use Bluetooth without asking permission for location permissions. This is because the Android system will only grant apps the required permissions.

If you use the Android Auto driving assistant technology, your car will automatically connect to Bluetooth devices when you start it. You can also remove paired devices. You can also enable “Nearby Share,” which lets you control how your device searches nearby Bluetooth devices.

This functionality can be used to increase accuracy. You can also disable Bluetooth or Wi-Fi scanning. These settings can be found in Android’s location settings. You can disable Google Location Accuracy if Bluetooth is not essential for your location.

Several settings can affect the way your device scans Bluetooth. You can browse for only nearby Bluetooth devices or all Bluetooth devices. To reduce the scanning time, you can use filters. You can also disable Bluetooth scanning within your app or set a low-power mode for scanning.

Android 12 allows you to scan Bluetooth devices and displays the time you use the microphone or camera. After pairing your Bluetooth device for the first time, you can enable a feature to automatically connect it.

Widgets

It’s easy to make your Android home screen look different by adding widgets. Widgets display information from your daily schedule to the most recent emails.

Android 12 introduces significant design changes to the operating system, including wallpaper-based Material You designs. Material You is a design language that makes Android more adaptable, customizable, and discoverable. It enhances search visuals.

You can customize your Android 12 Widget pack with a variety of widgets. There are many styles to choose from, including dark or light themes. You can also renew existing devices to make your home screen look fresh and new. Search for the perfect widget and then download it to your phone.

Android 12 includes new widgets and a few APIs to help you configure and customize them. These include widget descriptions, dynamic widget previews, and smaller-size attributes.

Android 12 widgets are single-purpose windows you can add to your phone’s homepage. These widgets can display your daily schedule, latest emails, weather reports, and other helpful information. Android 12 offers more widget options than ever. Many widget types exist, including Gmail, calendars, and Google Drive.

You can download widgets from the Google Play Store. To quickly create your own devices, you can download standalone apps.

Android 12 has many new widgets. Some of them are wallpaper-based Material You designs. You can install the Weather and Clock widgets free of charge. A premium version of the app can be purchased for $0.99.