Google has yet to release the first Developer Preview of Android 12, but rumors regarding the next version of the OS are already making the rounds. XDA-Developers has obtained a series of screenshots that allegedly depict Android 12, showing off a couple of new features for privacy and conversations, but also some new design elements.
First off, the notifications panel seems to have done away with some of the transparency elements and now uses a solid background, and notifications themselves now use more heavily curved corners. The quick settings panel only shows four icons instead of six, but each of them is larger than before.
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The screenshots also show off some privacy features, such as indicators for when the camera or microphone are being used by apps. Apple was first to this feature with iOS 14, but Google's implementation will let users tap the icons to immediately see what apps are using or have recently used the camera or microphone. Google has tested this feature in the past, but it has yet to become publicly available, so maybe this is the year it happens. Another screenshot also shows a new privacy settings page that lets you disable camera, microphone, or location access altogether.
On a different note, we get a look at a new conversations widget that's built into the OS. With Android 11, the OS started gave messaging apps their own section in the notifications section, called Conversations, and this seems to be an expansion of that. These appear to give users quick access to conversations from different apps, with Facebook's Messenger, in particular, being displayed in these screenshots. The widgets show recent messages or missed calls, as well as a name, profile picture, and status indicators.
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XDA-Developers, who saw some additional documentation on the matter, claims that both the privacy indicators and the conversations widget in Android 12 will be mandatory features, meaning other OEMs will need to include them in their custom Android skins.
It should be noted that, while the images come from a trusted source, it's currently impossible to verify their authenticity. Either way, we shouldn't have long to wait to get a clearer idea of what's coming with Android 12. Last year, we got the first Developer Preview for Android 11 on February 19, and a similar schedule could be planned for this year.
Source and images: XDA-Developers
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