This week 9to5Google's Abner Li and Kyle Bradshaw discuss the leaked Android 12 mockups, what new features are possibly coming, App Pairs, return of "Columbus", and more.

Alphabet Scoop is available on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Pocket Casts, Overcast, and through our dedicated RSS feed.

New episodes of Alphabet Scoop are recorded every Thursday afternoon at 4-5 PM ET and published on Friday mornings. Subscribe to our podcast in Google Play or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they're available.

Hosts

Abner LiBen SchoonKyle Bradshaw

Links

Android 12 design mockup leak reveals radical visual overhaul, first features [Gallery]Android 12 working on in-depth theming system that can even recolor appsAndroid 12 set to revamp split screen with ‘App Pairs’Android 12 should mark return of ‘Columbus’ double tap gesture for PixelsGoogle updates Android Beta Feedback app ahead of Android 12 Developer Preview

Feedback?

Drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also rate us in Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or recommend us in Pocket Casts to help more people discover the show.

Transcription

Kyle [00:00:02] Hello everybody, and welcome to Alphabet Scoop Episode one hundred and twelve the 12th, they're being surprisingly appropriate as you'll learn more in a minute. And I'm joined here with Avner this week. Then Ben will not be joining us as he is a bit under the weather, but feeling better? I haven't watched you jump on into what we can't count on with Android 12.

Leaked Android 12 mockups

Abner [00:00:27] So, yes, on Tuesday, we had a rather unprecedented week of what looks to be Android 12. So before the start of any developer preview, Google shares, of course, they share this stuff with their partners. And apparently one of the documents that highlights the high level changes in Android 12 was Thelo a screenshot and made public. And this gave us what by all by all accounts, is what Android is going to look like. So starting on this, the. Bold screenshot of a new home screen that for the most part, it looks like the pixel launcher on Android, you happened today, but there it is a stark difference in that it is themed. The wallpaper is theming the rest of the system. And one of the reasons we think this week is very much authentic is because just last month we had a our own reporting about such a feature, which Kyle is going to dove into. 

Kyle [00:01:56] Right. 

Android 12 in-depth theming system

Kyle [00:01:56] So we found that Android 12 is going to expand the work that's got started with Android 10, where Android introduced the idea of light theme and dark theme. Android 12 seems to be adding this much deeper, far more colorful theming system where you can choose one of a few preset colors. So don't go thinking you can choose one of a million different colors. It's you got presets, but if you can choose one of a few preset colors or have it be chosen for you based on your wallpaper, and the majority of Android is going to recolor itself to that theme, to the point that even even third party apps, if they so choose, can use that theme. Which is really bold and interesting and it. 

Kyle [00:02:58] It's the. 

Kyle [00:03:00] The cornerstone, really, of all of these screenshots is these leaked mockups is this this color system, it's unavoidable even in the camera app. 

Abner [00:03:11] So one of the examples of that extending into third party applications is in this mock up. Anyway, we see the dock with full apps, the phone app, the clock app and the camera, everything but the Web browser. It matches the wallpaper. And that the background is is the same color that matches these mountains and hills that's in the…