According to the source, Google will bring back in the next version of its Android operating system (Android 12) a feature that has been actively tested and should have appeared in Android 11. Google developers call this feature “Columbus”.
This designation conceals the ability to perform a number of actions by double-tapping on the back of a smartphone – in much the same way as the screen is awakened by tapping on the display. By default, double-tapping on the back was supposed to launch Google Assistant; but we can assign this action to almost any other action: turn off the alarm, start the camera, stop video playback, mute the sound on an incoming call, etc.
In Android 12, Columbus will perform only some actions, using this feature, you can, again, call Google Assistant, take a screenshot, pause and resume video playback, open notifications or background applications menu.
To prevent accidental pushes or other actions from being interpreted as a double tap, the user will first need to register this “gesture”. Also, in the Android settings, Columbus can be completely turned off.
Android 12 will bring a completely new split-screen mode
Google is preparing interesting innovations for Android 12. In addition to the simplified procedure for transferring Wi-Fi passwords, limited network mode and mysterious hibernation mode, some developers have discovered a new feature that will delight owners of smartphones with large screens.
We are talking about a redesigned split-screen multitasking mode. In this mode, you can display two applications at once (sometimes more) and use them simultaneously. This is especially useful on smartphones with large displays.
To use a couple of applications at the same time; now you need to open one of them, then activate the split-screen mode for this application using the view of recent applications and select the second application. This solution was often not very convenient and manufacturers such as Samsung, LG and Microsoft offered their alternatives.
According to 9to5Google, Google is preparing a completely redesigned split-screen mode called App Pairs (Pairs of applications). When browsing recent apps, App Pairs lets you treat a pair of apps as one task.
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Thus, the user can pair two applications that he often uses together. Then he can easily launch or return to them after working with other applications. To illustrate the function in action, 9to5Google created a mockup of how the feature might look.
In Android 12, users can block apps from accessing the internet
Google is now in full swing preparing for the launch of its new mobile platform – Android 12. Meanwhile, details about it began to leak on the web.
This time, enthusiasts from the mobile developer community XDA Developers have found one of the features of the future update by digging into the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) code.
The new feature is internally called restricted networking mode. Interestingly, in a post describing the innovation, enthusiasts expressed frustration that the feature did not add the hotly anticipated customizable system-level firewall.
However, this mode may well be useful. If you activate it in the settings, then only those applications that have received special permission CONNECTIVITY_USE_RESTRICTED_NETWORKS will be able to connect to the network. Such permission will only be available to specific system applications and/or installed by the manufacturer. Thus, in restricted network mode, any applications installed by the user cannot access the Internet.
The first developer preview of Android 12 should launch in February.
Android 12 will be much easier to update – via Play Store
With the popularity of the Google Play Store, it is quite easy for Android users to update apps. Because updating apps via the Play Store is technically a routine for some users; it feels like updating via the Play Store is even easier than the OTA updates. Google wants to give users an easier option for Android updates. Google launched “Project Mainline” to improve the way Android updates. In Android 12, the operating system update may be easier.
