Google announces Android 12L for large-screen devices like Chromebooks, foldables, Android Tablets

Google recently announced Android 12L, following last week’s unveiling of Android 12. Android 12L is Android 12 for large screens with system apps optimised for Android tablets, Chromebooks, and foldables.

The new Android 12L’s interface brings tweaks across notifications, quick settings, lock screen, overview, home screen, and more to ensure a more refined UI. Android 12L will be available in early 2022 in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldable devices.

A developer preview of Android 12L is available for emulator use and will be available on the Lenovo Tab P12 Pro soon. Android 12L public beta will also be available for Pixel devices later and arrives as an update for phones, although most of its features aren’t visible on smaller screens.

Screens above 600dp, the notification shade, lockscreen, and other system surfaces use a new two-column layout to take advantage of the screen area. Multitasking has also been improved with the addition of a new taskbar on large screens that allows users to switch between apps on the fly. Android 12L will also enable all apps to enter split screen mode, whether or not they are resizable, while the mode itself is becoming “more discoverable than ever.”

Google has also improved compatibility mode with “visual and stability improvements to offer a better letterboxing experience for users and help apps look better by default.” Device manufacturers can now set custom letterbox colours or treatments, adjust the position of the inset window, apply custom rounded corners, and more.

Google says that there are over a quarter billion large screen devices running Android across tablets, foldables, and ChromeOS devices. In the last 12 months, the search giant has seen nearly 100 million new Android tablet activations, which is a 20 percent year-over-year growth. ChromeOS is also the fastest growing desktop platform with a 92 percent growth. There are over 250 million active large screen devices currently running Android.

Developers have been urged to update their apps to better adapt the multiple screen sizes Android works. Google will warn users about apps that aren’t optimised for large screens in the Play Store. Additionally, each app’s quality will be assessed against new checks against Google’s large screen app quality guidelines, while a large screen specific app rating will also be arriving next year. For more details about Android 12L, head on over to the link.