Hands-on with an Android 12.1 build with support for foldable devices, including an updated taskbar, split-screen view, and more
Google is expected to release the next major update to Android, Android 12, next week, but ahead of its release, we're already hearing about Google's plans for a follow-up update.
Context & Ripple Effects
The build extends Android 12’s earlier Material You redesign into large-screen use, pairing its interface changes with a taskbar and revised split-screen behavior for foldables.
What appears here as an early follow-up was subsequently formalized in Android 12L’s tablet, foldable, and Chromebook focus and later reached users through the Android 12L release.
First-order effects
- Google’s Android interface gains dedicated multitasking and navigation patterns for supported foldable devices rather than relying on the phone-oriented Android 12 layout.
- Android users on supported foldables get quicker app switching and more explicit split-screen controls in the build.
Second-order effects
- Android app developers face a more consistent large-screen multitasking surface, increasing the value of layouts that work across folded and expanded displays.
- Google’s follow-up release track gives large-screen Android improvements a clearer product identity alongside the main Android 12 update.
Third-order effects
- If Google continues packaging large-screen changes this way, Android’s platform design will increasingly treat phones, foldables, tablets, and Chromebooks as related but distinct interface targets.
- The progression from this build to Android 12L points to large-screen usability becoming an ongoing Android maintenance priority rather than a one-time foldable feature set.
The trend: Android is moving from a phone-first release cadence toward dedicated interface work for foldable and other large-screen devices.