Android 12 Developer Preview 2 is here: more security, graphic effects and more news

One month after the launch of Android 12 Developer Preview Google launches its second preview, a new preview of what we will find when the new version of its operating system arrives at the end of the year.

In the announcement of Android 12 Developer Preview 2As usual, Google is limited to announcing the news that are intended for application developers. The news that have to do with new functions we will have to discover them during the next hours and days.

What’s new in Android 12 Developer Preview 2

With Android 12 Developer Preview 2, Google tells us that it wants its operating system to be smarter, easier to use, offering the best performance, privacy and security at the center. In addition, it advances us that we could find a redesign in the interface in the final version of Android 12.

Trust and safety

The Android team remains focused on adding more transparency and control to its operating system while keeping our devices and data as secure as possible. In this second preview, the news related to this aspect are the following:

• App overlay controls: The operating system allows applications with prior permission to call the attention of users for important actions showing, overlay to the application, that we are using an alert window, interrupting the user. Now in Android 12 they launch a new permission so that applications can prevent a window from getting in their view, especially when it shows sensitive screens, such as transaction confirmation.

• Expanded security for lock screen notification actions: This new preview version improves security and privacy controls for lock screen notifications. Now developers can configure notification actions that can be performed on the lock screen when the user has not yet authenticated. For example, this will allow a messaging app to require authentication before deleting a message or marking it as read,

More tools to improve the user experience

Google continues to work to provide developers with more tools to help developers improve their applications for a better experience and performance. For this they launch these news today:

• Rounded Corners Support: Although mobiles with rounded corners have been on the market for more than three years, the Android operating system still did not offer developers an API to adapt their applications to rounded corners, which in some mobiles can eat up information or leave little air to icons or texts. With the API RoundedCorner developers will be able to know the size of the curvature of the corners.

• Picture-in-picture (PIP) enhancements: Google improves the transition from PIP mode for people using gesture navigation. Now the system automatically switches the application to PIP

  mode on the home screen without having to wait for the startup animation to complete. Also improve the size of the PIP mode for non-video applications and new gestures allow us to hide the PIP window by sliding it to the sides.

• Keep wearable applications active: A new API will allow smartwatches and fitness trackers to make sure their companion app is running on the device so that everything works properly. If your application is closed, you will be able to run it, and if the wearable is disconnected or turned off, the application will stop running.

• Bandwidth estimation improvements: Google improves and improves the Bandwidth Estimation API to allow developers to get an estimate of performance by carrier or Wi-Fi SSID, network type, and signal level for all device users.

• Blurs, color filters and other easier effects: Developers now have a new API for applying graphical effects to their application views. For example, they can apply blurs, color filters and more. This novelty could indicate that Google ** could redesign Android 12 to apply these effects to its interface **.

Now available on the Google Pixel

This new preview is now available for Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4 and 4 XL, Pixel 4a and 4a 5G and Pixel 5. If you already had Android 12 Developer Preview installed, you just have to wait for the OTA update. If you still do not have Android 12 Preview and want to try this new version you will have to [actualizar manualmente](blurs, color filters).

Next April, probably in the middle of the month, Google will launch Android 12 Developer Preview 3. It would be the third and final preview intended for developers. In May they will launch Android 12 Beta already available to users.

Via | Android Developers

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Android 12 Developer Preview 2 is here: more security, graphic effects and more news

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