Android 12 Beta 3 is available for download for Google smartphones from Pixel 3 and selected other manufacturers. With the release, Google is finalizing the APIs and making more new ones available to developers. For users there are scrolling screenshots and a more intelligent and faster rotation function of the screen.
Google wants to achieve full platform stability with Beta 4 in August, before the rest of the third quarter the release of the final version is scheduled.
With Beta 3, Google is finalizing the APIs and giving developers new ones at hand. For the “privacy indicators” introduced with Android 12, which show access to the microphone and camera in the status bar, developers can now query the relative position on the UI in order to avoid overlapping in their own apps, for example when an app uses full-screen mode and store controls in the same position.
Administrators can lock cameras
Enterprise administrators should look forward to a new function in the area of data protection that enables them to use the quick settings for deactivating the camera and microphone that Google introduced with Android 12 for normal consumers can now also be controlled using an enterprise profile. Smartphones managed by a company can permanently block access to these components for apps, which is particularly relevant in the case of trade secrets.
Scrolling screenshots integrated for the first time
For end users, the scrolling screenshots that were already in prospect when the operating system was announced will move into Beta 3. When taking a screenshot, there is now a button in the lower right to capture more of the content. The function is integrated ex works and should be compatible with all apps that use the standard “view-based UI”. If this is not the case, developers can submit support via the new ScrollCapture API. In the upcoming Beta 4, Google wants to further improve the function and also support web content.
Scrolling screenshots in Android 12 Beta 3 (Image: Google) Rotation function uses the front camera
The autorotation integrated in Android and other mobile operating systems for the automatic rotation of the screen depending on the orientation of the smartphone can be a nuisance every now and then. For example, users are susceptible to incorrect turning movements when they are used on their side or on their back. Instead of just using the accelerometer, Android 12 Beta 3 also performs face recognition using the front camera to determine the orientation of the UI. Google emphasizes that the processing of the data is carried out exclusively on the device in the Android Private Compute Core. In Beta 3, the function will be supported from Pixel 4 onwards. Apart from the correct detection, the execution of the turning function should now also run faster. Google calls an improvement of 25 percent.
Game Mode APIs for performance profiles
Later in the year, Google plans to introduce a game dashboard for Android 12 that will provide users with performance profiles, among other things. A number of new Game Mode APIs will enable developers to optimize their apps for the individual profiles for better performance or greater efficiency. Android 12 will also support gaming with gaming apps during the download, as is known from desktop and stationary game consoles.