It’s February already and in the world of Android enthusiasts, that means a new version of Android will drop in a half-baked state. Google is yet to announce anything officially on the Android 12 front but thanks to a bunch of leaked screenshots, you may not have to wait anymore. Almost a dozen of Android 12 screenshots have leaked, giving us a glimpse of Google’s mega plans for the next Android. There’s a new design and some new privacy features that this year’s Android will flaunt proudly.
Thanks to a report from XDA Developers, an early draft from Google detailing the features for Android 12 gives us a glimpse of all the new stuff coming to us this fall. There are new widgets, a drastically redesigned UI, and some iOS 14-inspired privacy features.
Of course, the screenshots show what the Pixel phones will be getting – the stock version might look different and feature a different style of packaging. Here’s a quick look at these leaked screenshots.
Android 12 gets a massive makeover
Google seems to be taking bucket loads of inspiration from Samsung’s One UI for its next iteration of Android. The screenshots reveal a design that carries a stark resemblance to Samsung’s One UI 3.1, especially with all the UI elements as well as several widgets. The icons are wearing a new minimalist theme while all the menus are wearing a cream-color theme with opaque backgrounds. There’s copious use of the Google Sans font throughout the system.
Source: XDA Developers
The widgets themselves are expected to get a redesign, featuring more curved edges than before. There’s a new Conversations widget that appears to show the latest chats from different texting apps, complete with the timestamps. It seems that you can set this widget for a particular chat or group from any messaging app. There only appears to be a single small-size for the widget for now. The widget choosing page itself gets a makeover with a widely spaced out layout.
Similarly, the quick toggles menu now shows only four icons and the rest of them are another swipe away. Google seems to be experimenting with dynamic icons here – look at the active Wi-Fi toggle that carries a circular icon while the other inactive toggles go for square icons. Even the stock camera app gets a major UI overhaul.
New privacy features heading to Android 12
The Privacy menu offers more controls over the device sensors than before. Based on what we see from the screenshots, one could be able to disable the microphone and cameras entirely. One could also disable the location access for devices.
Additionally, there will be a tiny indicator on top of the notification slider, notifying users of apps accessing either the camera or the microphone. This is similar to the privacy indicator in iOS 14 but Google has worked on its aesthetics to make it seem more intuitive.
Is this how Google’s version of Android will look this year?
Right now, it is too early to comment as Google is yet to announce anything officially on the Android 12 front. We can’t guarantee the authenticity of these screenshots ourselves and hence, suggest you take these with a pinch of salt.
That said, if Google indeed goes for this new One UI-inspired minimalist theme, Pixel users will have a great Android update to look forward to, at least from the design perspective.
from Android 12 leaks: Major UI design overhaul, iOS 14-like privacy features, and more
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