The operating system android 12 is the latest version of Google reaching the most varied smartphones and tablets. Depending on the manufacturer of the mobile devices, it may come with MIUI 13, ColorOS 12, One UI 4, OxygenOS 12, Realme UI 3.0, among others.
Below we highlight some of the aspects that go through all Android smartphones that receive the update to Android 12, one of the most significant in recent years, going far beyond the new (and attractive) Material that it looks like.
1. Access to camera and microphone with convenient notification on the main screen
Android 12 implements a new notification bubble that appears in the upper right corner of the screen whenever the microphone or camera is used.
Whenever an application, for example, accesses these sensitive elements of the smartphone, we will see a new indicator in the status bar of the Android phone.
So, if we don’t want any app to access these components that are capable of capturing immersive images and audio, we can easily disable this access with two new buttons in the Quick Settings menu, on the top bar.
2. Keep location private – Approximate or Exact
Android 12 brings a new location system for tablets and smartphones. Now the user can define whether an app has access to their exact location or only the approximate location. Therefore, not all applications will have the same location accuracy depending on the needs and permissions granted by the user.
It’s a powerful boost for user privacy, as not all apps will access location with the same degree of accuracy. As soon as they open an app for the first time, the pop-up will allow them to set the “Exact” or “Approximate” location.
3. Control Center with Privacy Authorizations
We have a new privacy panel or privacy panel which allows us to see, in a clear and complete way, when applications access our location, cameras or microphone. We will also see how often they do it over the last 24 hours so that no action goes unnoticed.
Thus, if we find some abnormal behavior, for example, an app that we have no memory of, is always using the camera and/or the microphone, we can carry out the necessary actions from the privacy panel.
4. Extended screenshots in Android 12
The utility of print screens or screenshots is undeniable. However, on several occasions we may need a full screenshot and not something truncated. So in Android 12, we have this option natively in Google’s system.
The result? Pressing the Power button + Volume Down will take a screenshot that we can convert into a full page screenshot, that is, the entire length of the page in a single image. The control will appear in a arise righ now.
It is a useful tool when we want to share and/or illustrate some aspect of the system, now being able to do so in a single image.
5. New widgets inspired by Google’s Material You design
Android 12 breathes new life into widgets with an organic design based on Google’s Material You philosophy. In addition, they are smart widgets that can display different content depending on the application they bring to the main screen.
In particular, widgets in Google apps like Photos, Gmail, Contacts, Messages, and Calendar are smarter and will display really useful content on the home screen.
By the way, Google itself details, in own publicationthe various possibilities and implementations of the renewed widgets introduced with Android 12.