Android 12 Beta 4 promotes order over chaos

Google released the first public beta of Android 12 at its I / O event in the spring, and now beta 4 is rolling out to compatible devices. Instead of a few new features like previous beta releases, this release moves things to the “platform stability” section of the timeline.

For users trying to dive into the next version of Android ASAP, that means things are leveling off as development progresses towards a release candidate. The people this release is really important to are Android developers, who can test their apps for compatibility now that APIs, features, and layout have been locked down. With Google introducing the biggest system overhaul in years, there are plenty of areas an app could run into – check out these widgets.

Another potential hurdle for apps that haven’t been updated is Android 12’s renewed approach to privacy and security. There’s the privacy dashboard that consolidates settings, alerts when an app snoops to the clipboard for any copy / paste information, and the ability to grant an app access to your precise location or approximate.

As always, you can sign up for the beta and see if your phone is eligible to participate here. Google phones from the Pixel 3 onwards are contenders, along with some phones made by Asus, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, and ZTE.