The Android 12 Developer Preview is now available for pixels!

Today is the big day: our first official look at Android 12! The first developer preview of the 2021 iteration of the world’s largest operating system is now available.

Android Developer Preview 12 will work on all Google Pixel smartphones in the Pixel 3 series. This means the Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a / 4a 5G, and Pixel 5 Previous Pixel phones and phones from other OEMs are not compatible, but you can still use Android Emulator in Android Studio if you want.

Related: All the features of Android 12 that we know so far

As usual, this first RFP is not intended for general public use. Therefore, you can only install it manually. You can flash a factory image if you agree to wipe your data and unlock your bootloader. Alternatively, you can load an OTA which will not require an unlocked bootloader or wiping data. Either way, you’ll get OTAs for future preview launches as well as the inevitable beta releases.

However, please understand that this version of Android 12 should be considered completely unstable. It is not suitable to use it as a daily driver, as it will cause all kinds of trouble! As such, this is for developers and DIY enthusiasts only.

Android 12 Developer Preview: This is just a test

Given that we’re so early in the development of Android 12, this first developer preview won’t feature many new consumer-oriented features. Instead, most of the functionality will be aimed at developers. As always, developers will find clues to mainstream functionality in this code, so stay tuned for our coverage of these rumors.

Google has revealed what it aims to achieve with Android 12 as a whole. He says this version of Android will be “more intuitive, more efficient and more secure” than the other versions. Last year Google focused on communication: notifications, messaging features, etc. The Android 12 developer preview will therefore have different priorities.

With that in mind, many features confirmed in Android 12 so far are all very technical. Google says Android 12 will allow faster and better image transcoding, resulting in better looking photos with smaller file sizes. Notifications will also be faster with more tools allowing developers to customize them. It will also make it easier for developers to discover compatibility issues so that they can launch their applications faster.

There are, however, a few proven features that consumers will appreciate. One is haptically coupled audio, which will allow a phone’s vibration motor to sync with the audio in the app, creating more immersive gaming experiences. Likewise, gesture navigation when your phone screen is completely covered with media (like, say, when watching a movie) will be easier and more consistent.

Stay tuned, as we’ll likely discover a lot of cool features over the next few days playing around with the Android 12 Developer Preview!

Related: Android versions: the story of the biggest mobile OS

When will everyone get Android 12?

Google says its goal is to achieve platform stability by August 2021. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Google pushed the stable version of Android 11 on September 8. although it is highly unlikely, it would land before August.

Meanwhile, the first beta of Android 11 launched on June 10, 2020. It is not unreasonable to expect a beta for Android 12 to land around the same time this year. .

The bottom line is that the Android 12 developer preview is just the start. We have several months left before consumers in general use it!