Pixel 6 Flips the Switch: Android 12 Comes to a Phone near You
When Google unveiled the brand‑new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, it wasn’t just a new camera trick or a sleek design. Right alongside the hype, Android 12 rolled out to all the eligible Pixels—yes, even the venerable Pixel 3, which has been around since day one.
Ask yourself: “When did this happen?”
The answer: Long before now—Android 12 was officially out there, and the stable source code was hanging in Google’s AOSP repository like a shiny trophy.
But there’s a twist. Until those few weeks after the Pixel announcement, no notification popped up on the pins and phones saying, “Hey, Android 12 is ready for you.” Instead, a subtle hint: “We’ll be pushing this in the very next few weeks.” No big deal… or was it?
Why the Prime Time?
Now that the wait has ended, it turns out the rollout alignment was deliberate. Android 12’s debut on the Pixels seems to have been scheduled to sync with the launch of the Pixel 6 lineup. Talk about timing!
Meet Material You: The UI Make‑over
- Colour Extraction – your wallpaper becomes a color palette for the whole UI.
- New Widgets – redesigned to fit the fresh look.
- Privacy Highlights – a little camera & microphone indicator to keep you in control.
- Scroll‑out Screenshots – grab the whole scroll in one go, no more endless scrolling.
It’s pretty clear that Colour Extraction feels like a “Pixel‑first” move. Google has said it’ll roll out to more devices soon, but for now, it’s a bit of a Pixel privilege.
Other Manufacturers Jump Into the Game
It’s not just Google keeping the ball in the court. Oppo’s ColorOS 12 has a similar wallpaper‑based theming feature plus new animations through the Quantum Animation Engine 3.0. Samsung, on the other hand, has already offered a public beta of One UI 4—currently in the hands of Korean users since September.
In Google’s own blog post, the updates are set to arrive on OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices later in the year. The mobile world is tightening its grip, and the curtain is drawn on the Android 12 era.
Share this twist of tech stories, and keep your phone ready for the next paint‑brush stroke. Until next time, stay tuned—Android updates are never dull, and they’re certainly not shy about ironing out their schedules mid‑rollout.
