Android 12 Beta 4 arrives with a new feature and a slew of bug fixes

Google has released Android 12 Beta 4, another step on the road to a stable version of Google's next smartphone OS. Notably, Beta 4 contains the final Android 12 APIs and 31 SDK, finally allowing developers to test their apps for the upcoming operating system. Google states that there should be at least one more beta update before a stable version arrives, presumably the release candidate build.

Unfortunately, Beta 4 does not add many new features to Android 12. In fact, the only new feature concerns Google Play services' advertising ID. Now, opting out of interest-based advertising removes the pre-existing advertising ID and replaces it with a string of zeros.

Thankfully, Beta 4 addresses over two dozen bugs that were present in Beta 3. For example, double-tapping a device's screen should now wake it, while Android 12 should no longer open the wrong open from the dock or home screen area. That being said, there are still 137 top open issues in the Android 12 Preview Issue Tracker. Beta 4 contains several known issues too, which you can read in Google's latest Android developer post.

Android 12 Beta 4 is available to download now on all compatible Pixel devices, starting with the Pixel 3. The new beta will be available to devices enrolled on the Android 12 Beta program too, such as those by ASUS, OnePlus and Realme.

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