Today Google pushed the source for Android 12 to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and brought about some bad news for hopeful upgraders. Here on the 4th of October, 2021, Dave Burke, VP of Engineering at Google suggested that we should “keep an eye out for Android 12 coming to a device near you starting with Pixel in the next few weeks.” And if that weren’t enough of a light tap to the face, Burke adds, “and Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices later this year.”
In reality, the schedule this year isn’t all that different from those of the last several years with Android system release. Most Android devices don’t get access to the newest of the new Android OS upgrades of this sort for weeks or months after Google makes it public. There’s a definite span of time that developers for manufacturers of these devices must spend to get the OS ready for public release – not to mention the work that still must be done for carriers after the fact.
SEE TOO: Android 12 Beta 5 released: Here’s what’s left
As for the Google Pixel 6 release: When will it actually be released? Does Burke mean “in a few weeks” for the release of the Pixel 6, or “in a few weeks” for the release of the software to Pixel devices other than the Pixel 6?
The Android Dev Summit is scheduled for October 27 and 28, and Burke suggests that they’ll be “talking about Android 12 in more detail” at said event. They’ll likely be expanding upon the software that’ll be available to users in the coming months, for devices beyond the Pixel, which we still cannot be sure will be released before this developer-focused event.
When did you believe Android 12 would be available to your smartphone? Did you think Google would reveal and/or release the Google Pixel 6 before the end of October 2021?
