The final version of the API is officially here | Android 12 Beta 3 released

Author/ Dave Burke, VP of Engineering

Every month, we are working hard to bring Android 12 closer to its final form, including innovative features, , a new version of UI that is more suitable for users, performance improvements, privacy enhancements, security improvements, and more. Many people have passed our Beta program to develop and test on Android 12. Thanks again for the feedback you have been sharing!

But there is still a lot to do before the official release of this version. Today we bring the third Beta version of Android 12 for everyone to experience. In addition to updates such as scrolling screenshots, privacy indicator API, and enhanced auto-rotation, Beta 3 also includes the final version of the Android 12 API and the official SDK. With these, you can test and update the application before the platform stability milestone (which will be reached in Beta 4). Get your app ready now!

You can start to experience Android 12 Beta 3 on your Pixel device today. If you have participated in the Beta test before, you will automatically get the update. You can also experience Android 12 Beta 3 on designated devices from our device manufacturer partners (such as Sharp and TCL).

For more information about Android 12 and how to start development, please visit Android 12 developer site .

Beta 3 update list

Beta 3 contains many updates that improve features, user experience, and performance. Here are some of the highlights.

scrolling screenshot -In order to make it easier for everyone to save and share scrolling content, we have added a scrolling screenshot function. Starting from Beta 3, when users take a screenshot of scrollable content, they will see a "Take More" button, click to expand the screenshot range to the entire content, and adjust the cropping range.

△ Scrolling screenshots in Settings

Scrolling screenshots is available out of the box for most apps: if your app uses a standard view-based interface, no changes are required. For non-view-based or highly customized application interfaces and UI toolkits, we will provide a new ScrollCapture API to support scrolling screenshots. The system will notify the application of the request for scrolling screenshots through this API, and provide a Surface for you to draw the UI in it. We will continue to iterate on scrolling screenshots. In Beta 4, you will see more scenarios that support this feature by default, including support for ListView. We are also working hard to provide support for more content (such as web content). Please be sure to share your thoughts with us!

Device-side search -We have further strengthened the AppSearch in Beta 3. AppSearch is a brand new high-performance device-side search engine. With AppSearch, applications can index structured data and search through the built-in full-text search function. You can also use native functions such as efficient indexing and retrieval, multi-language support, and relevance sorting.

AppSearch can be used in two ways: one is to AppSearch Jetpack library , and is forward compatible; the other is to maintain a central index for the entire system, supporting Android 12 and Future version. When you use the central indexing method, the system UI can display the data of your application, unless you choose not to use this feature. In addition, you can securely share data with other apps, allowing them to search both their own and your app’s data at the same time. Please visit official document for details.

Privacy indicator API in -In Beta 2, we have added a privacy indicator to the status bar to show when the app uses the device’s camera or microphone. Since the indicator will be displayed when the app is in immersive mode and may cover controls or content, the app needs to know where the indicator can be drawn and make necessary adjustments to avoid useful content being covered by the indicator. In Beta 3, we added a new privacy indicator (privacy indicator API WindowInsets let you know the maximum display range of indicators and their relative positions on the screen, and take into account the current screen orientation And language settings. Please visit official document (English) for details:

Enterprise Configurable Camera and Microphone Switch -In Beta 2, we have introduced a new switch that allows users to immediately turn off all apps' access to the device's microphone and camera. We now allow enterprise administrators to access this feature, and they can restrict the use of these sensors on the devices they are fully authorized to manage. Please visit official document for details.

provides new permissions to start foreground services for applications paired with CDM -In order to better support device supporting applications to perform core functions, while providing transparency to the system, it is with 160f78dbac5131 Companion Device Manager (CDM) The application can start the foreground service from the background by declaring a new normal permission. Please visit official document for details.

better to use and faster auto-rotation -We have enhanced the auto-rotation function of Android, by using the front camera to more accurately identify when to rotate the screen. Let you get a better experience when using the device while lying on the sofa or bed. For developers, this means that automatic rotation will provide users with a better experience, as long as the user turns on this feature in the system settings. The enhanced auto-rotation function is supported by our recently announced Private Compute Core , so the image will never be stored in the device or sent out of the device. In Beta 3, this feature is available for Pixel 4 and newer Pixel devices.

In order to make the screen rotation as fast as possible on all devices, we also optimized animation and redrawing, and added a machine learning-driven gesture detection algorithm. Through these optimizations, the delay of the basic automatic rotation function has been reduced by 25%, and the rotation of the face detection function is built on these improvements. Everyone is welcome to experience the improved auto-rotation function and share the experience with us.

Android 12 games support -With Game Mode API , you can react when players choose different performance configurations for the game: for example, to save battery consumption during a long commute, or through performance mode Get the highest frame rate. These APIs will be integrated with the upcoming game dashboard, which provides an additional layer of controls, allowing players to quickly set up key useful functions during the game. The game dashboard will be launched on selected devices later this year.

△ Touchgrind BMX's "play while playing" experience on Android 12

In addition, play as you download function will allow the game to download game resources from the background during the installation process, allowing players to enter the game faster:

Please visit Android 12 developer website learn more about the new features of Android 12

final API and SDK

We have been working on completing the Android 12 API in the past few months. Today, with the release of Beta 3, this set of APIs has officially come to everyone, and the official version of the API level 31 SDK is also released. We plan to reach the platform stability milestone in Beta 4, when not only API interfaces, but all application-oriented system behaviors and non-SDK interface lists will be finalized.

If you are compiling an application for the Android 12 API, we recommend updating your development environment with the version released today, and recompiling your application with the official version of the SDK and the latest tools.

application compatibility

Many early users and developers have already Pixel and other devices . Now it’s time to make sure your app is compatible so that they can enjoy it!

To perform application compatibility testing on Beta 3, please install your official version of the application on a device or emulator running Android 12 Beta through Google Play or other channels. Please test all the processes of the application to find out the problems exposed on the function or UI. Please use the behavior change list to identify potential changes that may affect the application, so as to determine the focus of the test. Now you do not need to upgrade the targetSdkVersion of the app. After solving all the problems found, please release an updated version of the app for your Android 12 Beta users as soon as possible.

As mentioned before, with the release of the next version, Beta 4, Android 12 will reach the platform stability milestone . At that time, the application-oriented system behavior, SDK/NDK API and non-SDK list will all be finalized. You will be able to conduct the final compatibility test and release a fully compatible application, SDK or development library. For the release schedule, see here .

Start to experience Android 12 now

Whether you want to experience functional Android 12, and test applications or submit feedback , you can start from the Beta version. with a supported Pixel device to participate in the test , and you can get the update via over-the-air (OTA). To begin to develop, install and set 12 SDK Android .

You can also experience Android 12 Beta 3 on devices of top device manufacturer partners (such as Sharp and TCL) participating in the Android 12 Developer Preview Program. Please visit developer.android.google.cn/about/versions/12/devices for a complete list of partners. For more extensive testing on more devices, please install and experience Android 12 Beta Android GSI image (English) If you don't have the right equipment, you can also test Android emulator

Beta 3 is also available for Android TV, you can check the latest features, test your own apps, and try the new Google TV experience. Please go to Android TV developer website for more information and use the ADT-3 Developer Toolkit to get started.

Please visit Android 12 developer site details of the Beta version.

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