Android 12L is launching for Pixel phones
After a lot of anticipation, Google is finally launching Android 12L to average users. It’s been a developer preview and a beta for the past few months, but now, people are going to have the real deal. Right now, a lot of phones can get the official update to the new platform. Unfortunately, Pixel 3 owners who were able to get the update to Android 12 will be left out. Phones as old as the Pixel 3a can get this update. Phones from there all the way up to the Pixel 5a should get the OTA within the following days.
This won’t be for the Pixel 6 phones
If something seems off, then it might be because the Pixel 6 is not on the list. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro won’t get this update along with the other phones. The newest Pixel phones will get their update later on in the month. This lines up with previous news saying that Google launched a secret OTA to disable the phones from getting the update. The Pixel 6 phones received the update to version SQ1D.220205.004 just days ago. This stops them from installing the update.
What’s new with Android 12L?
While we didn’t expect there to be much of a difference based on early impressions, Android 12L does well to differentiate itself from Android 12. For starters, Android 12L is a lot more stable than Android 12. The software was plagued with software bugs and issues that were, at the very least, pestering. Aside from that, Google added haptic feedback throughout more places in the software. Places like the multitasking window now have a click for each app you scroll by. Summoning the app drawer and the notification shade also has a haptic “click”. Speaking of the notification shade, there are a couple of changes. Firstly, the “No Notifications” text is now centered on the shade rather than at the top. When you swipe up on the notification shade, the quick setting will actually compress. Also, you can now change it so that the clock stays in the top left corner when the screen is turned off.
How to check if you have the update
First, go to the settings and find the System section. Tap on the Software Update option about halfway down. When you tap it, it’ll tell you if your software is up to date. On the bottom, tap on the Check For Update button. Check back every now and then to check up on your update.
