Android 12 is here, but it shouldnt be

Date:
Wed, 06 Oct 2021 16:00:11 +0000

Description:
Android 12 has launched in a confusing fashion, and Google really should have taken the time to get it right.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

I think its fair to say that Android 12 hasnt had the smoothest of launches. Not only is it late (relative to the last few versions anyway), but now that its finally here it, well, isnt really.

Google made the odd decision to launch Android 12 onto the Android Open
Source Project (AOSP), an open source version of the platform used by developers. That in itself isnt odd Google always does this with new versions, but it also always launches them onto Pixel phones at the same
time. Except this year.

This year, if youre a general user, theres no easy or official way to
actually get Android 12 onto your handset right now, even if you have a
Google Pixel 5 .

Its a strange situation which has led to confusion, with articles saying Android 12 is here, when functionally for it isnt, and with early reviews appearing that might not be entirely representative, since the version that appears on even Pixel phones is likely to be at least a little bit different.

This weird launch also means that when Android 12 does finally launch on phones, it will likely do so with less fanfare than normal, because its already out, sort of.

This seems to be a theme for Google in 2021, with the company also semi-announcing the Pixel 6 range back in August, but leaving us waiting
until October 19 for a full launch. But there at least it was building hype for the phones, whereas with Android 12 its just building confusion. (Image credit: Google) Why this happened and what should have happened

So why did Google do this? Essentially because the AOSP version of Android
was finished, while the version being shipped to Pixel phones wasnt.

In a comment to Android Central , a Google spokesperson said "We're putting the finishing touches on a special release with Pixel-exclusive and Pixel-first experiences on Android 12. This will roll out to Pixel users in the next few weeks."

The team working on Android itself is also different to the team working on the Pixel handsets, so while they presumably communicate and coordinate a
lot, ultimately the former team got its project finished, while the latter still needs to add some finishing touches.

But just because one team finished ahead of the other it doesnt mean it
needed to release Android 12 in a form most people cant make use of before the Pixel version was done. It sounds like the wait is almost over for
Android 12 on Pixel, so couldnt Google just have waited an extra couple of weeks and launched both versions together like in any other year?

Doing so would have avoided all this confusion and criticism, and allowed Android 12 to land with a bang rather than a whimper.

Why Google didnt do this isnt entirely clear. We cant imagine it was down to
a lack of communication between the two teams though if it was then thats a sign of much bigger, more systemic problems.

More likely the company simply decided that getting Android out on AOSP
sooner rather than later would be beneficial to developers. And Google is probably right, but whether doing so was worth the confusion caused were less sure.

It doesnt help that some headlines added to the confusion by saying Android
12 had launched, with no caveats, but Google should have predicted that would happen. iOS 15 was launched right (Image credit: Apple) A crushing contrast

Compare this to the launch of iOS 15 and its night and day. iOS 15 was announced on September 14 and went live less than a week later on September
20 - with that date being confirmed on the day of the announcement.

It launched on that date for all compatible devices as well, running right back to the iPhone 6S from 2015. There was no confusion, no uncertainty and
no phased rollout.

Compare that to Android 12, which is here, except its not. It will be coming to Pixel phones soon, but were not really sure when. When it does land on Pixel, we dont even know for sure which models will be compatible. Were expecting it for the Pixel 3 onwards, since thats in the beta, but Google hasnt confirmed.

The Pixel 3 also came out in 2018, so if that is the cut-off then that means way less support than Apple is offering, though thats nothing new for
Android. Then of course it will be at least weeks and in many cases months before most handsets from other manufacturers get Android 12.

So there are an assortment of problems here, with many causes, and many of which are difficult to solve. Some of these are issues Android has always faced too, but the last thing Google needs is to add to its problems. Android launches are always confusing, especially compared to iOS ones, but this year its utterly baffling.

Thats a real shame, especially as Android 12 itself looks to be an exciting update, with a complete visual overhaul. Googles botched launch has somewhat taken the shine off that, so hopefully Android 13s launch is more considered. While you wait for Android 12 to really launch, grab some of the best Android apps



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/android-12-is-here-but-it-shouldnt-be/


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