Android 12: Beta 3 arrives with scrollable screenshots, better on-device search, and more
A finalized build of Android 12 is getting closer. On Wednesday, Google announced the third public beta of the upcoming operating system update. The update will start rolling out today for Pixel devices, and OEM partners will soon follow. Beta 3 includes several new features that Android users have been waiting for, along with providing developers with finalized APIs and the official SDK to ensure their apps are compatible with the update.
As for user-facing features, today's update adds scrollable screenshots, allowing you to capture an entire conversation thread or webpage in one screenshot. Google also improved auto-rotation on Android phones by using the front-facing camera to determine which direction the screen should be rotated at any given moment.
Additionally, Android 12 improved on-device search by allowing third-party developers to make data buried deep inside their app available to the device search feature. For example, you should be able to search for a specific email using the device search field, or for a location in the Yelp app.
This release marks the third public beta release in Google's published schedule. The next release, in August, will be a platform stability release -- which should be very close to the same build that Google will officially release shortly after that.
If you have a Pixel phone, you can sign up to take part in the public beta right here. Have a non-Google phone? Visit this page to see a list of device makers and the respective devices the beta is available for.