Android 12 Beta 4 rolling out to Pixel phones with Platform Stability

2021-10-02

Android 12 is currently in the beta phase and today, the fourth release of Android 12 Beta (not including the Developer Previews) is rolling out to Pixel devices now. The Android Developers Blog advises that this is a significant release as it moves Android 12 into the final phase of testing.

Android 12 Beta 4 has reached Platform Stability, a milestone that means all app-facing surfaces and behaviors are now final in Android 12. This includes not only the official SDK and NDK APIs, but also final app-facing system behaviors and restrictions on non-SDK interfaces that may affect apps. So from Beta 4, you can confidently release your compatibility updates knowing that the platform won’t change.

Developers should “start final compatibility testing for apps, SDKs, and libraries,” as Android 12’s app behaviors won’t be changing between now and the final public release of Android 12. This means we are closer to seeing the final release of Android 12, which should be debuting on Google’s incoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices. There is one more Beta prior to the final release of Android 12, meaning we might see Android 12 released sometime in late September or October.

Google Pixel users enrolled in the beta program should be able to pull the new update now. Google Pixel smartphones dating back to the Google Pixel 3 are eligible to participate by going to this link and signing in with their Google account associated with the Pixel phone. Non-Pixel devices enrolled in the beta will also receive Beta 4.

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