Newsletter
The Android team is releasing the final beta for Android 12 today, that is Beta 5. That might be a bit of a surprise for some of you, considering we normally get the official release shortly after Labor Day. In fact, Android 11 debuted on September 8, 2020. But we have one last Beta to get through.
This is the last beta according to Google, since their blog post title clearly states “Official Release is next!”. So there’s not a whole lot of changes in this beta. This is essentially a release candidate, and will be identical to the final version that launches in the “coming weeks” according to Google.
So what’s new in Android 12 Beta 5?
This is a release candidate for Android 12. Google says that they reached Platform Stability in Beta 4, so all of the app-facing surfaces are final, that includes the SDK and NDK API’s. As well as app-facing system behaviors, and restrictions on non-SDK interfaces. There’s of course some more bug fixes and optimizations available in Beta 5.
This also means that developers can build their apps to support Beta 5 and not worry about any further changes that might break their apps. So that’s a good thing.
Google is also taking this time to remind developers to get their apps ready for the Android 12 launch. Which is right around the corner. Make sure to update for the Privacy Dashboard, Material You, and much more that is coming in Android 12.
The final beta is available now for installing onto your Pixel, or partner device. And for this beta (and this one only) the Pixel 5a is now available for enrolling into the beta. Basically, Pixel 3 and later are all available for the Android 12 Beta. And will more than likely be getting Android 12. Google has not said when Android 12 is launching other than “in the coming weeks”. So it’s not too far away now.