Platform stability milestone | Android 12 Beta 4 is now released

Author/ Dave Burke, VP of Engineering

Platform stability milestone | Android 12 Beta 4 is now released
Today, we brought you the fourth Beta version of Android 12 and entered the final stage of the release cycle. Android 12 has brought many changes, including that is more adaptable to users, performance improvements, privacy and security enhancements, and more. We are now shifting our focus to further polishing the system, as well as improving performance and stability. It is the feedback that everyone has been sharing so that we can improve this platform and usher in today's milestone. Thank you again!

For developers, Beta 4 allows us to reach the platform stability milestone , which means that the Android 12 API and all application-oriented behaviors have been finalized. For applications, the focus now is to resolve compatibility and improve quality. Now is the time to immediately start preparing for compatibility updates for your applications, ready for the official release later this year.

You can start to experience Android 12 Beta 4 on your Pixel device today. If you have joined the Beta test before, you will automatically get the update. You can also experience Android 12 Beta 4 on several designated devices of our device manufacturer partners (such as ASUS, OnePlus, OPPO, realme, Sharp and ZTE). For details, please check here .

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

Platform stability milestone

Android 12 Beta 4 has fully reached the platform stability milestone , which means that all application-oriented interfaces and behaviors in Android 12 have been finalized. This includes not only the official SDK and NDK API, but also system behavior and non-SDK interface restrictions that may affect the application. So starting from Beta 4, you can release the compatibility update of the application with confidence, because the platform will not change anymore. See the release timetable .

We ask app and game developers to start the final compatibility test , and be ready to release compatibility updates for apps and games as soon as possible before the official release of Android 12.

For developers of all SDKs, development libraries, tools, and game engines, it’s even more important to start testing immediately and release compatibility updates as soon as possible: Before getting updates from you, the work of your downstream application and game developers may change Blocked, so please be sure to inform your downstream developers after the compatibility update is released!

Application compatibility

For Android, application compatibility means that your application can run as expected on the new version of the platform. You only need to install the official version of the application on the device or simulator to perform compatibility testing: if the application behaves normally in all aspects, then it is compatible.

test application compatibility is very important . In each system version, we will make overall improvements to the platform, strengthen privacy and security, and optimize the user experience of the entire operating system. These may affect your application, so please be sure to check the behavior change list and conduct targeted tests, and then release compatibility updates to users. Compatibility testing is the basic but very core link to ensure the quality of the application, which can ensure that your users have a good application experience.

When users update their devices to Android 12, they will want to explore the latest version of the Android system and experience their favorite applications on this new platform. Application not working properly can be a very serious problem, and even cause users to uninstall your application.

Therefore, although Android 12 has a large number of new APIs and features worth exploring, please test your current application first and release a compatibility update .

prepare your application

To test the compatibility of the app on Android 12, just install your official version of the app on a device running Android 12 Beta 4 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 (for all applications) to find out the potential changes that may affect the application, so as to determine the test focus;

Here are some changes to be aware of:

• Privacy Information Center -This is a newly added screen in the Settings, which allows users to see which applications are accessing which types of data, and when. If necessary, users can adjust permissions and get detailed reasons for accessing data from the app. Please visit official document for more information.
• Microphone and camera indicator -When the app is using the camera or microphone, Android 12 will display indicator icons in the status bar. Please visit official document for details.
• Microphone and camera global switch -The new global switch function in Quick Settings allows users to immediately disable microphone and camera access for all applications. Please visit official document for details.
• Clipboard access notification -When the application reads data from the clipboard, the system will remind the user. Please visit official document for details.
• Over-rolling and stretching effect -When over-rolling, the new "stretching" effect replaces the previous luminous effect system-wide. Please visit official document for details.
• application splash screen -Android 12 will use a brand new startup animation when launching the application. Please visit official document for details.
• Keygen changes -We have removed some obsolete BouncyCastle encryption algorithms and implemented it using Conscrypt instead. If your application uses a 512-bit AES key, you need to change it to the standard length supported by Conscrypt. Please visit official document for details.

Don't forget to test the compatibility of the development library in the application If you find a problem in the SDK, please try to update to the latest version of the SDK or ask its developer for help.

Once you have released the current version of the application is compatible, you can start update applications targetSdkVersion . Please refer to the behavior change list (for Android 12-oriented applications) , and use the compatibility framework tool to quickly detect the problem.

The following are some changes that need to be tested (applicable to applications with targetSdkVersion 31 or higher):

• Foreground service start limit -Apps can no longer start the foreground service from the background. For high-priority background tasks, please use expedited jobs (expedited jobs) in WorkManager Please visit official document for more information.
• Coarse location -When the app requests permission for the exact location, the user can now choose to grant a precise or rough location. Please visit official document for details.
• New precise alarm permission -Applications that want to use precise alarm must apply for a new general permission: SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM . Please visit official document for details.
• Modern SameSite Cookie Behavior in WebView -If your application uses WebView, please test the new SameSite Cookie behavior. Please visit official document for more information.
• Safer component export android:exported attribute for any application component that uses the intent filter. Please visit official document for more information.
• Custom notification -The system will use standard notification templates for fully customized notifications, and provide application name, application icon, and field support for expanding/collapsing content. Please visit official document for details.
• notification trampoline restriction -notifications can no longer launch your application via trampoline (an intermediate broadcast receiver or service used to start the target activity). Please visit official document for details.

During the testing process, please also pay attention to the situation where the application uses restricted non-SDK interfaces, and migrate from these interfaces to public SDK alternatives. Please read official document details of restricted API.

Start experiencing Android 12 now

Whether you want to experience functional Android 12, and test applications or submit feedback , we can start from the Beta version. Just use the supported Pixel device register for the test , and you can get the update via over-the-air (OTA). To begin development, please install and set up 12 SDK Android .

You can also experience Android 12 Beta 4 on devices of top device manufacturer partners (such as ASUS, OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, Sharp, and ZTE) 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, you can also install and experience Android 12 Beta 4 Android GSI If you don’t have a suitable device, you can also test Android emulator

Beta 4 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 the Android TV developer website for more information and use the ADT-3 Developer Toolkit to get started.

In the next few weeks, we will also release a Beta version as a release candidate for everyone to conduct final testing.

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

Your product feedback and questions are very important to us, welcome to submit feedback to us through the QR code below. Your question may appear in the next FAQ and be answered. thank you for your support!