Microsoft is rolling out the long-awaited Android 12L update to Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 devices. Dual-screen devices have always been a curious halfway house between an Android smartphone and a Windows desktop. With the additional features offered by 12L, both sides of this split have been enhanced, making the Duo stronger.
Commonly referred to as Android 12L, this Android update focuses primarily on tablets, foldables, and dual-screen devices like Microsoft’s Surface Duo.
Surface Duo users will see plenty of changes to their handset, although this will likely boil down to the move from Android 11 to Android 12. Not only does this keep the Android version up to date – much appreciated for security updates and apps – it also increases the utility of the Surface Duo to run more Android apps smoothly. Excerpt from Microsoft’s blog post on the update:
“The new UI updates we’re sharing today focus on building stronger connections between Windows and Duo, promoting familiarity through visuals and consistency. We’ve maximized the potential of customization within Android to deliver this more aligned experience without sacrificing performance.”
Consider a pronounced example that could have an immediate impact; Gmail. Until now, Gmail was only usable on a single screen of the Duo; once you moved to span both screens, the app was unaware of the center gap, resulting in text dropping and text sitting on a small piece of the left screen. Now you can span Gmail across two screens, and the code – which hooks into Android’s display code – will respond to its surroundings and place navigation entirely on the left side and content entirely on the right side.
Gmail isn’t alone in this, Google Calendar now features a split view on the Duo rather than a single tablet-style screen spanning the hinge, and there are undoubtedly countless other apps that are now adapted. It’s not because the developers are explicitly targeting the Duo; instead, they use best practices for talking to a screen through Android code… that’s where 12L makes a big difference.
Google didn’t do this out of the goodness of their hearts. These changes will impact a wide range of larger screen devices using Android, creating a more cohesive ecosystem and a platform developers can trust will have universal appeal.
Nor is Microsoft waiting for Google to come up with its code. Many of the changes incorporated into Android 12L were added through the Android Open Source Project, and Microsoft developers have made many additions to this code.
However, they have come to this point, Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2 owners have just seen their devices get an update that allows them to keep pace with other Android devices and expand the usable software on their devices. .
Microsoft also took the opportunity to tweak the user interface and layout on the Surface Duo platform to bring it closer to Windows 11. Given the dual-screen, multitasking approach used on the Duo, and the he renewed emphasis in Windows 11 on multitasking through multiple windows and preferred layouts, it makes sense for Microsoft to ensure there is consistency across different devices – be it wallpaper and font , through app layout, and iconography and inking experience.
The Android 12L update is rolling out across the platform. Those with unlocked devices should see it under the usual update screen in settings; those with network-locked devices may have to wait a bit longer.
Check out Microsoft’s latest potential Surface Duo design now.
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