आईसीटी समाचार
Android 12 is primarily a cosmetic upgrade when compared to iOS 14 or 15. Its look and interface are vibrant and fresh, but it will not affect how we use Android on our devices on a daily basis. In other words, everything we like and love about Android (including the app drawer and widgets) is still there; it simply looks different today. There are a few new features that many of us have been looking forward to. Let's take a peek at what's new now. Because it's a Pixel, the software upgrade was available right away when the Pixel 6 was released. It's around 1.69GB in size, which isn't excessively enormous even for a mid-range smartphone.
The lock screen was the first thing that can caught our eyes after installing the upgrade. Even when you hit the unlock/power button to wake or put the device to sleep, there's a huge, bold digital clock in the top-left corner with a sophisticated animation. Notifications are now shown in a more condensed manner, similar to cards. Unless you enlarge a message, though, this card-like form means there's even less content to read. After unlocking the phone, you'll see the home screen, which has undergone a significant UI redesign. Long-pressing the screen brings up the Wallpaper and Style menu, as well as the new Widgets menu. The new theming engine in Android 12 may be found in the Wallpaper and Style menu. You have the option of using basic colors or letting the system create a color palette and theme depending on the colors in your wallpaper.
There's also an option for Themed icons, which matches the wallpaper and theme by changing the appearance of system app icons (Phone, Contacts, Play Store, Photos, and so forth). All of your Android widgets, including new customizable ones from Google's services (Keep, Calendar, etc. ), a new Conversations widget that allows you pin a live or recent discussion, and the traditional Android widgets from third-party apps, can be found under the Widgets menu. The Discussion widget is a convenient method to bring a conversation from a certain app to the home screen, and it will automatically update whenever a new message arrives. I tested this with WhatsApp and Slack, and they both performed admirably.
You can launch the relevant app and join the conversation by tapping on the widget, but you can't communicate in the widget itself. While the style of the Quick Settings toggles has stayed mostly unchanged, the way incoming alerts are shown has altered dramatically. Some may consider this an egregious waste of space, but the new, larger buttons are simpler to press, and everything looks nice while adhering to the Material You design concept. The Discussion widget is a simple way to move a discussion from one app to the home screen, and it will refresh itself anytime a new message arrives. I used WhatsApp and Slack to test this, and they both functioned perfectly. By touching on the widget, you can launch the relevant app and join the chat, but you can't communicate in the widget itself. While the Quick Settings toggles have largely remained untouched, the way incoming notifications are shown has changed considerably.
Some may see this as a waste of space, but the new, bigger buttons are easier to click, and everything looks great while remaining true to the Material You design philosophy. The app drawer's search bar has become fairly strong. Not only can you search for applications, but you can also search for individuals and discussions inside apps. When you tap on a message result, you'll be sent straight to the app's chat window. The outcome of these searches is solely determined by how recently you spoke with your connections. All privacy-related controls are now in one location when you tap on Privacy in Settings. A Privacy Dashboard allows you to rapidly see detailed logs of which applications have used your camera, microphone, location, and other features in the last 24 hours. You may also withdraw camera, microphone, and other permissions for each app with a single swipe by swiping over a toggle.
When you open the Camera or Recorder app, you'll see a theme-matched symbol (followed by a dot) in the upper right corner of the screen, indicating that the cameras or microphones are in use. A new Games Dashboard has been added with certain gaming-related features. When activated, a floating widget appears that allows you to snap screenshots, record gameplay, disable DND, and monitor fps while playing games. You may also use your YouTube account to live broadcast your games. The Power Button menu from Android 11 is no longer available, providing access to linked IoT devices and payment choices. Long-pressing the power/unlock button now only brings up a menu with the Emergency, Lockdown, Power off, and Restart options. The fact that the Settings shortcut in the notifications shade is now only available after an additional swipe irritated me immediately (the expanded toggle view).
If you use Settings regularly, you'll need to add a Settings icon to your home screen. The Settings app looks a little different today, with menu elements spaced out according to the Material You style, but the functionality is basically the same. Within a few hours of using Android 12, I also discovered a few of problems. On the Pixel 4a, software performance isn't notably quicker than Android 11. After major software changes, battery life is always a concern, and I've been pleasantly pleased that it appears to be better than before. So far, Android 12 appears to be a solid upgrade (at least on the Pixel 4a). What remains to be seen is how much of the interface modifications seen on Pixel devices will make their way onto smartphones from other manufacturers like Samsung, Oppo, and Xiaomi, all of which tout the benefits of their own bespoke user interfaces. Currently, the Monet theme engine appears to be exclusive to Pixel smartphones, but this might change in future Android 12 updates, according to XDA.
The same can be said for privacy features, which I hope other Android makers will adopt, similar to how Digital Wellbeing is currently available on all Android handsets. I'm also not sure how many third-party app developers will update their existing widgets (some haven't been updated in years). Only Google-branded applications are presently offering new Material You-themed widgets. There's a lot to appreciate about Android 12, and there's a compelling incentive to update if you own a Pixel smartphone. Those who use Android-powered devices from other manufacturers will have to wait and see when Android 12 is released, as well as how it will appear when combined with their own skins. For the time being, Oppo's ColorOS 12, Realme's Realme UI 3.0, Samsung's OneUI 4.0, and OnePlus' OxygenOS have all shown off their unique Android 12 implementations, and none of them resemble the Pixel experience. It's also important to remember that these are beta versions, so there's still room for modifications until the final versions are released. For the time being, Android 12 is only accessible on Pixel devices, starting with the Pixel 3 and ending with the Pixel 6 Pro.
