We're getting closer to the release of the first Android 12 Developer Preview. It's crazy to hear this when many companies are still working on Android 11 for their devices. But that's not Google's fault, and Android should be getting better every year.
According to the latest reports, the new version of the firmware will undergo a major overhaul in terms of design. Just last week, the folks over at XDA-Developers posted a few images showing the major UI changes in the next Android OS, Android 12.
The leaked images came from a document that Google shared with its OEM partners and were likely mockups meant to showcase Android 12's advanced theming capabilities. In a few images obtained by XDA, we were able to see a new notification bar interface, home screen, privacy settings, Google Camera app and what appears to be a new type of system widgets. In fact, these images could be part of the new theming system that will ship with Android 12. However, they clearly show the direction Google is taking with Android.
If you remember, the brand introduced Material Design with Android Lollipop and then introduced Material Design 2.0 with Android 9 Pie. Material NEXT appears to be the next big change in user interface direction. Interestingly, guidelines have been developed that encourage companies to use their own identity in addition to material design. Instead of encouraging companies to stick with Android, the search giant is only asking companies to respect and innovate according to their recommendations. It's interesting because users can have different experiences with the many Android skins we have on the market. While the name is cool, Material NEXT probably won't be the name of the new design guidelines. After all, Google never called its theme changes "Material Design 2.0." We don't know if Material NEXT's changes will cover more than just messaging.
Interestingly, Google is preparing to tweak the Always On Display and Lock Screen layout in Android 12. The brand will shift the notification icons for the Always On Display so that they are no longer centered in the new layout. The clock face and smart space will be aligned to the top edge of the display. There may also be new AOD / Lock Screen transitions, but we don't know what they will look like. These transitions may not be available for Android 12 Developer Preview builds, as Google will hide these changes with the "Google Experience" overlay.
The brand will also customize the user interface of the graphic key used for the lock screen. It's also working on integrating Android Device Control into the lock screen dialog, accessible from the "options" at the bottom of the keyboard. The company will also include additional lock screen options in Android 12, a feature that was in development with Android 10.
The report also says that Google is testing a change to the Quick Settings panel. In Android 12, the search giant is preparing to move the QS Tile shortcuts to the side. We expect this change to cause some backlash. Prototyping of the feature began in late December, but work was completed earlier this month. If this option is enabled, QS tiles are displayed in two columns. We don't know what it will look like, but we have to remember that Android 11's changes to QS density were controversial.
Another addition is the default screensaver window. It can be light or dark depending on the current DayNight theme setting. This could be part of a broader effort to improve the quality of app launches. To improve theme creation at the Android system level, the Android Runtime Resource Overlay (RRO) is getting a major update. Until now, RROs have been APK packages that must be installed on a device before they can be activated. However, Android 12 can now generate non-APK files on the fly.
