Android 12 Confirmed With Colorful, Faster UI Rework

While Google has covered a lot of ground so far at Google IO 2021, the big draw of the show is undoubtedly the reveal of Android 12. Android 12 did indeed get its time in the spotlight today, and the first thing Google touched on was the changes to the UI that are shipping along with the new OS. As you might imagine given the announcement of Material You, the UI changes in Android 12 are centered largely around color.

Google's Sameer Samat confirmed that Android's UI is undergoing some rather drastic changes in Android 12, with a new look for everything from the lock screen to the settings menu. One feature specifically for Google Pixel is called Color Extraction, which will see Android creating a custom palette of colors based on the image you have set as your wallpaper. These new colors will apply to various parts of the UI, whether they appear in the form of matching color accents or colored panels in the Android notification shade.

After touching on Color Extraction, Samat turned his attention to the changes we'll see on the lock screen. One big change is dynamic lighting that will change the way your display turns on depending on how you're waking your device – pressing the lock button, for instance, will create a ripple effect that turns the display on from your power button outward. The clock has also been redesigned to be centered on the lock screen during times when you don't have any notifications to show.

The notification shade is also getting a new redesign that features home and Google Pay controls. Users will also be able to pull up Google Assistant by holding the phone's power button. Samat says that the Android team has made the UI feel smoother and promises that everything about Android 12's UI will be more responsive too.

Of course, this reveal is just a taste – we'll learn more about Android 12 and its new UI as we move through the summer and we get closer to the live roll out of the new OS this fall. We'll let you know when more is revealed, so stay tuned for that.