With Android 12L, Google will soon be introducing another Android offshoot, which is very close to the classic Android 12, but must still be viewed as a separate operating system with its own development strand.
The planned beta program has now been completed and the first release is just around the corner. We will show you how things will continue and when the final release or the first devices can be expected.
The pre-release versions of Android are divided into the two large blocks of developer previews and the beta phase: As the name suggests, the developer previews are only aimed at developers. The beta, on the other hand, is designed for all Android-interested users and should not cause any problems worth mentioning.
The first phase starts very early so that app developers have enough time to test the new interfaces, APIs, restrictions and other changes before the final version is released and to adapt their apps accordingly. Especially in this phase, a lot of changes take place under the hood.
With the entry into the beta phase, there are not quite as many changes under the hood, at least not at the levels that could affect the apps running on Android and thus the work of the developers. While developers were able to test and give feedback in the first phase, at this point the interested end-users step in and can report problems, give feedback on innovations or even make feature requests to a very limited extent, which may still be considered or for later versions and updates be considered. “Platform stability” is only achieved in the last step before the release.
As usual, the vast majority of users will not notice anything about these beta versions or will not want to take such a risk. This is especially true for Android 12L, which is officially only aimed at end devices that are not yet available. Now let’s take a closer look at the current schedule that Google has put in place for Android 12L.
Google had planned a manageable five versions for Android 12L – less than with other major Android releases: Only a single developer preview, three beta versions and at the very end, of course, the final version. The graphic above already makes it clear that the stability and the range of functions increase with each further release.
Already from the second beta, you go into the green area. There is no “platform stability” at least on this graphic. It could be because you don’t touch much of Android 12 at its core. The otherwise usual “Release Candidate” before the actual rollout is also not listed and at the moment it looks as if it will simply be skipped.
The individual versions were released about four weeks apart, although unlike Android 12 there were actually no intermediate versions. Apart from November, there was a new version every month and it will continue accordingly.
According to both the previous model and the timeline, the rollout of the final version can be expected in early to mid-March. However, an exact date is not known for this, because, unlike the betas, this is the final product, which cannot be postponed much.
When is the final version coming?
Every Android pre-release has always been accompanied by two big questions: What’s the name of the version and when will it be released? We’re a long way from the sweet nickname, but it’s quite possible that “Android 12L” isn’t the final product name yet – that seems rather unlikely because it’s mentioned again and again.
So the question remains when Android 12L will finally be released. As usual, the timeline ends in an unknown future. And indeed it can sometimes take a relatively long time after the last beta.
Because Android 12L is a brand new product line, there is no comparison with previous versions. However, it is important to know that Android 12L blocks the Android Beta channel. This means that as long as Android 12L is in beta, Google can’t release an Android 13 beta – at least not according to the current state of technology.
But even if you make it possible, a parallel beta phase of Android 12L and Android 13 would be very nice unusual. And because Android has started the beta phase earlier and earlier in recent years, Android 12L will be a rush. A release in early March is very likely. It is fitting that Android 13 wants to start the beta phase at the beginning of April.
However, one must note that Android 12L is not aimed at classic smartphones. Publishing does not necessarily equal a rollout. Android 12L is designed for new devices that are not yet on the market. The release could therefore fizzle out completely in practice.
Even Pixel users who are keen to experiment would probably switch to the Android 13 beta very quickly after a possible release. However, a few weeks should pass between the release and the start of sales of new devices with pre-installed Android 12L. It’s quite possible that there won’t be any Android 12L devices before the beginning of May (around Google I/O).