Android 12L: a new version for tablets and foldable smartphones – Frandroid

On the occasion of the Android Dev Summit 2021, Google unveiled Android 12L, a new version of the system designed for large screens. This applies to tablets, foldable smartphones, but also Chrome OS and devices with an external screen.

There were rumors of a mid-term update for Android 12. Although it will not be numbered “Android 12.1” as some thought, this version does exist, but is only intended for devices with a “wide” screen. Welcome to Android 12L.

The return of tablets and the arrival of folding screens

We thought the market was at half mast, but now tablets are making a comeback, driven by an iPad faster than ever. Over the past 12 months, Google claims to have recorded nearly 100 million new tablet activations, an increase of 20% over the previous year. For their part, foldable smartphones continue to carve out a place with a year-on-year increase of 265% (thanks samsung). Finally, Chrome OS also continues to grow on its side (+ 92%).

In total, 250 million active devices with a large screen are running Android. It was just as long as Google paid them a little attention and decided to offer them an ecosystem worthy of the name and no longer a poorly extended interface for smartphones.

Android 12L: a version for large screens

Featured at Android Dev Summit 2021, Android 12L is currently available in developer preview and can be tested on an emulator. It is still for the moment a version for developers so that they can optimize their applications.

Android 12L therefore adapts to wide screens when it comes to notifications, quick settings, the lock screen, the home screen and more. For example, the quick settings panel is separated from the notifications to display two separate columns on screens exceeding 600 dips (device-independent pixel).

Better managed multitasking

To facilitate multitasking, Android 12L also brings a new taskbar, like what iPadOS or Chrome OS already offer. This not only makes it possible to quickly switch between applications, but also to easily use the multi-window by sliding an application from this bar to one side or the other of the screen.

To adapt to different screen sizes and especially to different image ratios, Google has also improved its compatibility mode. Smartphone brands can further customize the letterboxing applications, from the color of the contours to the importance of the rounding of the angles. The goal is to offer the most harmonious and homogeneous rendering possible between the applications.

A responsive interface

Developers can divide their applications into several fragments called “activities”, which can now be arranged more simply according to the size of the screen. By displaying two different activities for example. This new operation should allow developers to adapt their applications very simply and therefore, we hope, very quickly.

For this, developers can use an API (coming soon) allowing them to easily determine if the screen is “compact”, “medium” or “extended”, and thus adapt their display on the fly.

Better yet, Google thought of the Microsoft Surface Duo and its possible counterparts! An API allows developers to detect the potential hinge or crease of a folding screen for separator service within the application. Enough to make the use much more natural.

Android 12L release date

The Android 12L version is planned “early next year, just in time for the next wave of Android tablets and [smartphones] folding“. In addition, Google is already working with several partners to adapt this version to their different devices.

We can expect “soon” to release Android 12L on the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro. While this version is primarily aimed at widescreen devices, it will also be compatible with phones. Also, a beta will be available later on the Pixels, although they should not show any visible changes.

It is therefore not a totally different version as we knew at the time with Honeycomb (Android 3.0, a version exclusive to tablets). So much the better.