3 things Android 12 can do that Android 11 can’t

Google unveiled the latest version of its Android operating system this week, Android 12. Available now as a developer preview, Android 12 appears to be quite similar to Android 11, with a few new features and performance fixes aimed at helping your phone run more smoothly.

If you can’t wait to try out the new operating system, you can download and install Android Developer Preview 12 now. But be aware that as a developer’s first look, it’s probably full of bugs and not meant for the average person to try out at this point – especially not on your main device. We expect Google to launch a public beta in May and the final version around August or September.

Here are three of the most important new features we’ve seen so far in Android 12, compared to Android 11.

App privacy features

Google is adding several new privacy features to apps to give users more transparency and control, according to a blog post from Android developers. One update gives you more information on how cookies can be used on sites, while another changes the way applications export information to prevent them from accidentally exporting activities, services and recipients.

It should be noted that these policies are less stringent than those of the recent version of Apple’s iOS software, which includes a new application “nutritional labels“that tell people what personal data their apps are collecting and an upcoming change that requires developers to ask people for permission to collect data and track it on apps and websites.

Redesigned notifications

With Android 12, Google is changing the design of notifications to make them more modern and functional. When you tap on a notification, it will take you directly to the app or action you want to take, instead of going through an intermediary service to start that action. This should speed up the process, according to the blog post.

As reported by tech site XDA Developers, Android 12 also has a new button that lets you snooze unimportant notifications and choose how long to snooze. You can also turn on adaptive notification ranking to allow Android to rearrange your notifications based on how you work with different apps, and reset the ranking if you don’t like it.

One-hand mode

Android 12 seems to include a few design changes that make it easier to use Android phones with one hand and your thumb. XDA developers noted that the updated settings UI moves the search bar to the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed access. He also discovered a new feature called “silky house” which makes the entire interface more suitable for one-handed use.

For more information, see how to download Android developer preview 12, and the best Android phones to buy for 2021.