While the Android 12 developer first preview might not have too many new features over its surface predecessor, there is a ton of stuff hidden behind the system indicators, including a redesign of the notification shade. , themes based on wallpapers and iPhone style. manual mode. But gamers are also in for a treat: The Developer Preview appears to be laying the foundation for an in-game toolbar, as XDA reported.

XDA Forums member and Android app developer Kieron Quinn has managed to reverse engineer the overlay in-game, but for now, the user interface remains fairly straightforward. It consists of two non-functional buttons living in the lower left corner of a game. One looks like a controller, and the other, slightly smaller, could be a record button. Presumably, you’ll be able to enter advanced game mode settings through the first one, while the second will allow you to record your session, as suggested by the code in the Android 12 SystemUI.

XDA writes that the dashboard is part of the com.google.android.systemui class instead of com.android.systemui, which could mean that the game mode will be exclusive to Pixel. But since many manufacturers have had their own more advanced game modes for a long time now, this will hopefully not be a big loss. Clues about a game mode were initially spotted before the developer’s first glimpse when a new “GameManager service” surfaced, although it is not clear exactly how the game’s dashboard and game mode are related to each other at the moment.

To learn more about the launch of Android 12, see our announcement article detailing what’s new here. If you want to install Developer Preview on your own device, find out how in our Android 12 download guide.