Android 12L Review – What’s New in the Latest Version of Android For Tablets

This Android 12L review will cover the new features that will make the tablet more attractive to users. The large display should make apps appear more attractive on the bigger screen. A number of new features, including recording indicators, a native one-handed mode, and Conversations widgets, should help developers create better apps. Here’s a closer look at the most exciting new features of the Android platform.

What is Android 12L?

the Android 12L is a new update following Android 12, which was designed for smartphones. Google says Android 12 is intended for phones, but most of Android 12L’s features won’t be visible on smaller screens. The ”L” as in ”Large” indicates that Android 12L is for devices with larger screens.

Android 12L App Highlight

The Android 12L’s design has a lot of new features to improve the experience on large screens. It will highlight apps that have been optimized for large screens, and warn them when they aren’t. The notification panel is now located on the right, and the home screen is now placed in the center. The split-screen mode and the lock screen are also improved. 

Android 12L Task Bar

The most prominent addition in Android 12L is undoubtedly the taskbar. The Android 12L’s taskbar will be sitting at the bottom of the screen. With a larger screen, Android tablets will be more usable for multitasking. The Android 12L borrows the iPadOS taskbar and adds gestures to it, including dragging to split screens, swiping up to go home, and flipping through recent apps. You can also hide or reveal the taskbar with a long press, which makes it even easier to navigate. However, many of the productivity features of Apple’s iPad are missing in Android tablets. 

While tablets, Chromebooks, and foldables are capable of multitasking, these devices are not made for the multitasking lifestyle. The 12L also makes it easier to switch between apps and opens a taskbar. Using the new taskbar is made easier by gestures, which include swipe up and drag and drop to enter split-screen mode. The quick-switch gesture can be used to quickly flip through recently-opened apps.

Which devices Android 12L is for?

The Android 12L also has a number of small but important enhancements. Pixel 3a, Pixel 4 series, Pixel 5 series and Pixel 6 series got this update. Other devices are Google Android Emulator, Lenovo P12 Pro tablet and potentially on Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 series. 

It also offers improved compatibility mode, which allows developers to test apps on a larger display without breaking the quality of the experience. Although some apps are not optimized for tablets, the updated compatibility mode is still useful. There are several other improvements, such as rounded corners and gesture controls.

Android 12L Release Date

While the new version of Android is focused on tablets and foldable devices, it’s still not available for phones. There have been four different beta versions released already, those being: Beta 1 in December 2021, Beta 2 in January 2022, and Beta 3 in February 2022. The final stable release just came out on March 7, 2022.

Improvements on the User Interface 

Android 12L is a major update for Google, which will focus on making the tablet and foldable experience more appealing. The new version has a dedicated multitasking interface, which is particularly useful for those who use their tablet in landscape mode. As an added benefit, the new version has improved app compatibility outside the candy bar smartphone realm. Aside from the new multitasking interface, it also features a new user interface, which is a good thing.

Google spiced things up with changing the Recent Apps screen in order to use the space more efficiently on both sides of the display. They also gave the user the option to choose another time indicator, instead of that huge clock shape, by making a tiny timepiece, which gives your device an overall minimal look.

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