Android 12’s final developer preview before the beta lands tomorrow, and it’s a rather significant design and usability tweak. Some of those dependent on the accessibility options of the operating system have also changed. Google has ditched the traditional two-finger swipe accessibility menu shortcut for simple floating buttons.
In previous Android versions, you could activate the accessibility menu by swiping up from the bottom of the screen with two fingers. Developer Preview 3 removes all of these options for access buttons. Like the bubble notification, you can move the button to the desired position on the left or right side of the screen. Regardless of location, gesture navigation appears disabled, so it doesn’t interfere with rear gestures. If you don’t like the button always being in your face, you can choose to make it almost completely transparent when not interacting.
left: Developer Preview 2. Rights: Developer Preview 3.
Interacting with buttons can be convenient when you need to rely on accessibility services, but it’s still silly to get rid of obscure gestures because there’s always a visible dot on the screen. At the very least, you can select the “Hold both volume keys” option, which can be a more elegant solution if you need to access accessible services from time to time.
For more on Android 12, check out our ongoing series of coverage. Here, or the bookmark change log is updated regularly, please check back later. Find out if you want to install the developer preview on your device. Android 12 Download Guide.