Google Releases Android 12 Beta 3
- Paul Thurrott
- Jul 14, 2021
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Today, Google announced the immediate availability of Android 12 Beta 3, which ships with the final API versions for developers.
“Each month we’re bringing Android 12 closer to its final form, with innovative features, a new UI that adapts to you, performance improvements, privacy enhancements, security benefits, and much more,” Google vice president Dave Burke says. “There’s still a lot to do to land this release, though, and today we’re pushing out the third Beta of Android 12 for you to try.”
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The biggest news with this release is that Beta 3 also includes the final Android 12 application programming interfaces (APIs) and the official software development kit (SDK). This allows developers to test their apps against new Android 12 features ahead of the Platform Stability milestone coming in Beta 4.
But there are some new features too. Some of the more important additions include:
Scrolling screenshots. Now, when you capture a screenshot of content that’s scrollable, you will see a “Capture more” button to extend the screenshot to the full content and then adjust the crop.
On-device search. AppSearch is a new high-performance on-device search engine that lets apps index structured data and search it using full-text search capabilities, and native features like highly efficient indexing and retrieval, multi-language support, and relevancy ranking.
Auto-rotate improvements. Android’s auto-rotate feature has been enhanced with face detection that uses the front-facing camera to more accurately recognize when to rotate the screen. This is especially helpful for people who are using their devices while lying down on a couch or in bed, Google notes. This enhanced auto-rotate feature lives within Google’s recently announced Private Compute Core, so images are never stored or sent off the device. In Beta 3, this feature is available on Pixel 4 and later Pixel devices.
Developers and other interested parties can Android 12 Beta 3 on compatible Pixel and select third-party devices by enrolling them at the Android Developer website. Those who previously enrolled will get Beta 3 over the air. You can learn more at the Android 12 developer site.