Android 12 beta 4 brings stable ecosystem to the platform

The fourth beta of Android 12 is finally here and it is an important milestone in the way up to the final release of the revamped operating system. With this version most of the hard work that goes into developing an operating system is complete and Android 12 has hit stability now. According to Google’s roadmap, platform stability was predicted to hit around August, and things seem right on track for now.

As per the official blog post by Google, the Android 12 API and all the app-facing behaviors are final. Meaning, developers are now given the green flag to go ahead with the final Android 12 compatibility tests as the version heads into the “platform stability” section of Google’s timeline.

The apps will run as intended on this version and the compatibility of app(s) can be tested by developers by installing on the emulator and testing it. If everything goes well, the app is going to be fully compatible with the OS version.

To test the app, install the production app from Play Store and keep a check on the app flow and functional UI issues. Key things to look out for are Privacy dashboard, microphone and camera indicator and toggles, stretch overscroll, splash screens, and keygen changes.

Once this is done, developers can publish the compatible app version and test for changes such as foreground service launch restrictions, approximate location, permission for exact alarms, custom notifications and much more. Google also recommends keeping a watch on the uses of restricted non-SDK interfaces in the app and moving them to public SDK equivalents.

This beta 4 update also signals the arrival of Android 12 beta in the coming weeks and consequently the rollout of Android 12 final version in a couple of months. You can now check your phone’s eligibility for the beta right away.