Reports indicate that Google is working on an Android update that will be specific to foldables, tablets, and devices that run Chrome OS.
The tech giant detailed at its Android Dev Summit on Wednesday that the update, called “Android 12L,” will feature optimizations specific to wide-screened devices. Some also note that the update appears to favor foldables that have a y-axis or hotdog style folding configuration, like that Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 over an x-axis or hamburger style folding configuration like the Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Reports have noted that there has been word of an Android 12.1 update since September and many believe Android 12L is this update. The update is set to include layout tweaks for better placements of the home screen, lock screen, notifications, and Quick Settings.
One feature that might be more foldable specific is that any display that uses 600 density-independent pixels or higher will display a two-column layout. This will allow for multiple apps to remain open at once.
With all of the screen real estate, Android 12L is introducing a taskbar, which users will be able to drag and drop to open apps and open multiple apps with a split-screen function.
Finally, the update includes improvements to letterboxing, which will allow apps to look better depending on the devices, on which they are displayed.
Android 12L is expected to release in early 2022, in accordance with the developer preview and beta release timeline.
Pundits are also already piecing together the potential launch of Google’s own foldable device based on the stable launch of Android 12L, possibly sometime in March 2022. However, those details cannot be confirmed.
