Google releases new developer beta of Android 12

Google has released the third developer beta of Android 12. Most of the changes in the new operating system are cosmetic, but functionally there are also some innovations. For example, ‘scrolling screenshots’ are possible to take longer screenshots of apps.

Google describes all innovations in the OS in a blog post. The third beta builds on many functions that were already in the second version, but also has new features. A notable one is scrolling screenshots. Users can also take a screenshot and use the ‘Capture More’ button to capture the rest of a page that is not currently in view. According to Google, that function is immediately usable for most apps, but a new api is also being released that allows developers to add more options to the function.

AppSearch will also be included in the new beta. This allows users to look up data within apps from a single search function. There will be a local index that developers can build into their own app, but also a central index that developers can use to make their apps compatible with the search system in Android 12 itself.

There are also new APIs coming out for game developers. With those Game Mode APIs, developers can force a game to automatically enter a certain mode, for example improving performance or optimizing battery life, based on specific player configurations.

Other minor changes include the ability to toggle camera and microphone toggles on and off for Enterprise administrators, and auto-rotate can now recognize when a user is holding their screen horizontally based on facial recognition. The Android 12 beta can only be used on Pixel devices for the time being and on a few devices from Sharp and TCL.