Android 12 Review - My User Experience So Far

Google Android 12 is here and I've been using it for a little while so I decided to make an Android 12 review about my user experience so far on the Pixel 6 Pro. I think its important to talk about UI Android 12 UI changes, the new notification tray, the good things, the problems with Android 12 and more. Think of this as the best and worst features of Android 12 update after the release date that I've found up to this point.

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Review unit provided free of charge by Google This video is sponsored by XTRFY. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no review direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Gear list (Available on Amazon):
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[Mike_Hartman]

Pretty sure those 'leaks' are intentional marketing by now.

[omarpixel]

Honestly I think this would've been a really good redesign if it wasn't so half-baked. Also, unifying Wi-Fi and Mobile Data under one "quick" setting is stupid. I agree with what you said and I really hope they address this soon.

[unparticularnoise]

Nailed the background here. This soft gradient on the fabric so nice to the eye. Nice work! You guys not as big as some of other channels but video quality is on track. I’d say it is the best actually among other tech bloggers.

[boredpreston]

I very much regret updating. Everything feels claustrophobic now and everything's harder to get to. And I wish I knew that it takes away so much customization for the home screen and colors!

[faisal-nlvf]

This notification shade is the most absurd thing I've ever seen in any UI ever!

[winchester]

I'm not sure I will like a more complicated process to access the WI-FI control in quick access. I like to quickly turn it on or off depending on where I go, to reduce battery usage of course.🤔

[debashishmitra]

So far I've been using Android 12 for a few days and I do not like it at all. I find an annoying theme that to do the same things more taps/steps are required - makes for a bad user experience - very frustrating as everything takes more taps/steps to do. Slows one down. Ex. Turning Wi-Fi on or off, turning vibration mode on or off on the volume slider, muting media volume on the volume slider. Why Google why? For first time users or elderly people it may be a good thing as the steps are clearer but for long time users the extra steps to accomplish the small frequently used tasks are extremely frustrating (turning WiFi off, muting media volume, turning on vibration mode etc)

[nommindymple]

My experience with Android 12 on my Pixel 3 XL has been fairly miserable. The big things are that my battery life has been cut in half and that the lock screen clock is an abomination.

[zckom]

Android 12 is aesthetically pleasant but everything becomes huge. I feel like I have an old man eyesight using it.
The quick toggle is just too huge and I personally have lots of toggle. Huge toggle means less toggle on 1 page and more pages.

[kreshjananajao]

I should've watched this video before upgrading to android 12. While it is refreshing since it is a new UI experience, The customization has been limited compared to Android 11. I kinda regretted upgrading to 12

*The Date/weather info on the homescreen has shrinked with no chances of resizing.
*Unified Wifi/Data button (One more step if you like to switch data or wifi 👎)
*Icons cannot be reshaped anymore

I hope they would make updates to be somehow more customizable. For now, I'll just suck it up.

[david_.]

Really like what Google is trying to do with Android 12 and Material You, but the execution hasn't been as good as I expected it to be, not on launch day at least.
Hopefully we'll soon get a new update that solves all the little problems that the OS has and adds the lost functionalities from Android 11 like having more toggles in the notification panel and such.

[ccroy]

I've been using Android 12 since the Beta on a 4a. I like it although hoping for a little more control over the new widgets for resizing especially the weather widget. The themed icons are fun, limited to Google apps right now. Someone on Reddit pointed out that themed icons are like American money, monotone, and not as easy to distinguish. I go back and forth but I think I prefer standard colorful icons, which is the default anyway.

[pilotdog]

Everything I'm seeing about Android 12 is making me seriously consider canceling my preorder and waiting for the S22 or something else.

[KTV]

Thanks so much for this video. I’ve been waiting for an android 12 specific video. Liked and subscribed.

[shoemaker]

I'm not really happy with android 12. I purchased the pixel 5a to replace my oneplus 6. I was having a hard time getting used to it while still on v11 (I miss the customization! and is hate that you can't hid the google search bar). But back to 12, the notification area is far too bulky. The clock widget backgrounds? no thank you. Screenshot preview/options blocks the navigation buttons (i know not many people use those anymore). Its a lot of little things. It has me thinking has the new oneplus really gotten that bad? Also considering the horror of trading it in for an iphone.

[oji-chan]

Currently using a pixel 5 pro. Loved Android 11 and the ease of use. Decided to upgrade to Android last night and I have to admit that I absolutely hate it. I have to disagree with you about the power button radiating the screen being cool, I just find it a nuisance as there's an unnecesary added lag before I can see the entire screen.
I hate that the brightness bar needs 2 swipes or 2 finger down swipe to access as it's a feature I used regularly for nightime reading. I hate how fat the brightness bar and the volume bar is. It feels unrefined and clunky. I hate that the new notification area takes up the entire screen. In Android 11, it only takes up the minimum necessary space, which means I could be watching a youtube video on my phone while reading the notifications. Now it's one or the other. I hate that they don't give you an option to keep the old colour scheme for the calculator, or the old design. The old design was sleek and perfect the way it was, the calculator wasn't broken so why give it an UI update without giving the option for users to select the older design? I hate that added level of "sheen" when you log in to your phone. It makes me think my screen got damaged and again, unnecessary animation and distracts me from reading a text message or notification. I can't think of anything I like from Andriod 12 and I've been seriously debating wiping my phone and reinstalling Android 11. It seems like Google has taken a page out of Microsoft and instead of inventing something new, they've mucked up the UI and taken a step backwards in terms of innovation. My phone is now more inconvenient to use than it was a day ago.

[smyly_sy]

First time I saw one of your videos. I am suprised with the quality!

[davidsargentphotography]

Been using Android 12 on my P5 for a few days now. I like it. As with lots of big UI changes, the notification pull down menu was a bit jarring, but I do really like it now, even with 2 less options. I'm a big fan of the lock screen changes and the indicators for mic and camera use is fantastic. Makes you wonder what took them until late 2021 to implement that one. Overall it's an improvement, but I do dislike one thing so far. Prior to updating, I was able to hold the power button to bring up google home access. If I wasn't already using my phone, this would be a non-issue as google home access is now a button on the lock screen, but if I'm using my phone, I either have to dig into my app drawer and find it (I'm not sticking that on my home screen) or lock my phone and then wake the screen to tap that button, which I find faster than opening my app drawer and scrolling for it, honestly. But obviously, the fastest way of that bunch is just holding the power button. I know it's in the name of the simplified look, but it was pure convenience and functionality stripped away for the sake of change. It isn't a huge deal, but google connected home devices are something that I need access to multiple times a day that miniscule frustration adds up over time.

[coolciaran]

Hope the custom android 12 versions from device vendors do some work for things like manual customisation and that notification shade.

[aldo]

Funny thing about the ‘stretch’ effect at the end of a list is that Windows Phone 8 had it almost 10 years ago now