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Google Android

Google Launches the First Developer Preview of Android 12 (techcrunch.com) 34

Posted by msmash from the OS-updates dept.
Almost exactly a year after Google announced the first developer preview of Android 11, the company today released the first developer preview of Android 12. From a report: Google delayed the roll-out of Android 11 a bit as the teams and the company's partners adjusted to working during a pandemic, but it looks like that didn't stop it from keeping Android 12 on schedule. As you would expect from an early developer preview, most of the changes here are under the hood and there's no over-the-air update yet for intrepid non-developers who want to give it a spin. Among the highlights of the release so far -- and it's important to note that Google tends to add more user-facing changes and UI updates throughout the preview cycle -- are the ability to transcode media into higher-quality formats like the AV1 image format, faster and more responsive notifications and a new feature for developers that now makes individual changes in the platform togglable so they can more easily test the compatibility of their apps. Google also promises that just like with Android 11, it'll add a Platform Stability milestone to Android 12 to give developers advance notice when final app-facing changes will occur in the development cycle of the operating system. Last year, the team hit that milestone in July when it launched its second beta release. Developers who want to get started with bringing their apps to Android 12 can do so today by flashing a device image to a Pixel device. For now, Android 12 supports the Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a/4a 5G and Pixel 5. You can also use the system image in the Android Emulator in Google's Android Studio.
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Google Launches the First Developer Preview of Android 12 More

Google Launches the First Developer Preview of Android 12

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  • Did they finally open up the API to allow for call recording? If not, I'm going to seriously consider UBports Ubuntu Touch on an open phone.

    https://nllapps.com/apps/acr/a... [nllapps.com]

    • So you want all malicious apps to be able to record your calls for future extortion? This is not wise.

      • Re:API for call recording (Score:5, Interesting)

        by tysonedwards ( 969693 ) on Friday February 19, 2021 @03:12AM (#61078938)
        Here’s the thing. I can not speak following a traumatic brain injury. I use a text to speech app where I can type and have a normal conversation without needing someone to help me, but it requires that I use an old phone simply so I can still use “call recording” to inject the voice synthesizer into the call.

        My other option is to have a second device and wire running between them, all because of a software choice. The thing is that Google allows their own apps to record audio from a call and inject data into it they just don’t allow others to do it.

        Frankly that “double standard” of allowed features and capabilities is the thing that should be at the heart of the “Epic” battle, but I guess it’s one that causes me real pain and struggles on a daily basis.

        • Sounds like an accessibility issue you could bring to their attention through their feedback mechanism, perhaps more than once and through multiple people.

          It is something of a corner-case, so specific feedback that the absence of that functionality causes you problems, could bring your (and others') need to their attention in case they otherwise overlooked it. It's not as if they couldn't make it available easily, as you said.

      • Android introduced app permissions in 6.0. That's six major revisions behind the one being discussed.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        It is wise. You simply don't give any apps other than your phone recorder permission to record it. That has existed in android since what, 6.0?

        FYI, we're talking about 12.0 here.

    • Whats wrong with those apps that require you to call a second number to do the actual recording ?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

      My understanding is that the initial justification was that they got really scared of the fact that many countries require both sides to be notified if call is being recorded. Many people would use their phones to automatically record all phonecalls even where it was illegal, in many cases without actually realising it.

  • Just stop with the Android updates already (Score:3)

    by wakeboarder ( 2695839 ) on Friday February 19, 2021 @01:10AM (#61078852)

    I'd like to hang on to a device for more than a few years please. I have a few devices that don't work because I lost developer support on android updates (and the latest went run on old devices)

    I think this is intentional, but it's generating a minyan of e waste, I hold Google responsible

    • That's mountain not minyan, stupid phone

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Android doesn't work like that.

      There are two kinds of update. You have OS updates, which is what this is. Major new features and APIs. Your manufacturer needs to offer them, or you can switch to Lineage etc.

      Then you have component updates, which are delivered via Google Play. Even older devices get them. All the major parts of the system get updates, including security fixes. So your older device is still supported. I have a nearly 7 year old OnePlus One that still gets updates and still runs current apps n

      • I have an old asus tablet and a newish che as p heads up display that can't download apps from the play store. I tried forcing the apps with apks, didn't work either. I don't have 10 to 20 hours to try and figure out how to force a new version of Android or fix the apps. Android sucks

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          What version of Android do they have?

          • Yeah. I'm curious as well. It must be a pretty old version if it doesn't allow installing apks from newer apps.
            The update situation in Android sucks. Manufacturers usually don't support devices for very long (max 2 o 3 years) and it certainly is bad compared to iOS devices which Apple supports for several years. But, I had phones that were 3-4 years old (and 2 or 3 major versions behind the latest one) and still could install most if not all apps from the Play Store.

          • Can't go past version 8 on the tablet and 9 on the heads up display,

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              Those are not that old, there is something wrong if you can't install apps from Google Play. You should also be getting regular updates from Google Play as well. You might need to open the app to see they have been installed previously, it doesn't bother notifying you by default.

      • Significant security-relevant parts of Android don't get updates through the Play Store. Google's been working to change that through Project Mainline [xda-developers.com], but that's been a slow-going process. It's still far off from handling kernel updates, so privilege escalation issues and attacks against radio interfaces like Bluetooth will remain difficult, if not impossible to handle without a ROM update.

        For now, most older Android devices remain only as secure as the Chrome sandbox. Defense in depth has been lost. Us

    • > I hold Google responsible

      Not correct, but also not wrong.
      Blame the entire supply chain/ecosystem.

      Blame manufacturers that don't update the base OS.
      Blame manufacturers for quick & easy blobs that provide an MVP (Minimum viable product) which they ship. Instead of providing mainline kernel support.
      Blame Google for not mandating at least 3 OS update for every device sold.
      Blame Google for creating a monolithic monster, with a closed ecosystem.
      Blame laws for not mandating maintenance of sold devices fo

    • I love pointing out how Apple is still doing security updates for iPhone 6 devices.

      • Apple has their own tricks to get people to buy new iphones, like making it impossible to change out a battery or intentionally reducing battery life.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by alvian ( 6203170 )
          Apple is providing a iPhone battery replacement program all the way back to iPhone 6. They'll only charge $49 dollars to replace the battery on your iPhone 6. Cost of the battery plus labor, which required paid training, for $49 is more than reasonable.

  • Yawn, yawn, yawn.
    Google should stop starting and stopping stupid new plans and instead add REAL new stuff to Android

  • Or is that the next one?

  • Android has become bloated and at least the UI APIs feel like moving from programming to coding (aka web design). That wouldn't necessarily be too bad, but they are complex as well, often conceptually different and keep rolling the backward compatibility snowball. Resulting in ever increasing complexity and resource demands. There is literarily no technical reason for all of this, and many reasons against. Like no sane person will use Android devices like TVs or car computers, because planned obsolescence i

    • It doesn't really make sense to have the infotainment system built into the car, radio aside. It should just be a display for your phone.

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