With a completely unexpected move, Google presented, last Wednesday, Android 12L, defined as a drop feature and designed specifically for folding devices and tablets. At the moment only a Developer Preview is available, which can be installed on the emulator contained in Android Studio, but a beta program will soon be launched on the Pixel series smartphones.
Two smartphones will be excluded
The first public beta will be released in December for all users with a supported Google Pixel and enrolled in the Android Beta program. Despite being full of news for folding, the new version will therefore also be able to adapt to the “small” smartphone screens in view of the final release which should take place in March next year.
If you have carefully read the list of smartphones that will be able to participate in the beta, you will certainly have noticed the absence of two smartphones that actually fall within the official support period. Recall that Android 12L will arrive in beta on Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
The list just reported, therefore, lacks Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, presented in May 2019 and therefore destined to receive system updates until May next year, at least according to Google’s official policies report.
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It is possible that Google, which at the moment has not provided a clear explanation, still decides to release the update to Android 12L also on the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL at the end of the beta phase, even if it is at least a questionable move.
For all other smartphones, we will have to wait until next spring, although some devices, such as Galaxy Z Fold and the Lenovo P12 Pro tablet, will soon receive a beta version of the software, although there is no official date for both.
Subsequently, the update should also reach all the other smartphones, compatibly with the intentions of the respective manufacturers, even if most of the news will not be visible on traditional smartphones.