Google asks Pixel users for feedback on Android 12L

Just a few days ago we told you that Google had released the first beta version of Android 12L, a new Android release intended for larger-screened devices (hence the “L”). If you get a strange feeling of deja vu, it might be from your mind remembering the release of Android 3.0 Honeycomb which was a version of the operating system developed for tablets back in 2011. Google plans on releasing three beta versions of Android 12L before disseminating the final version of the operating system.

The point of releasing a beta version of any software is to get feedback from those who are testing it out. Pixel owners are being asked to fill out a survey (via 9to5Google) revealing their experiences with Android 12L Beta 1. As Google writes on the feedback form, “Hi Beta users, We’d like your feedback on the latest version of Android 12L on your Pixel device. This *anonymous* survey should take you about 5-10 minutes to complete.

The company adds, “Please only fill out this survey if your Pixel device is running Beta 1 (S2B1.211112.006). You can verify this by going to Settings>About Phone. If you’re experiencing issues/bugs, please also send us feedback using the Android Feedback app on your device or via the public issue tracker https://developer.android.com/preview/feedback.”

Google asks which Pixel model the respondent installed the Android 12L beta on and the possible responses include Pixel 5a, Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 3a XL, and Pixel 3a. The new Pixel 6 series is not included and the Pixel 3 line will lose Android support from Google at the start of next year.

The next question asks whether you would recommend Android 12L in its “current state” to friends and family. To help you answer that, Google offers three possible answers:

• Yes, I’d recommend it to anyone.
• Yes, I’d recommend it with reservations.
• No, I would not recommend it.

Google then wants you to tell it the “top issue area” and adds “Audio Experience” and “System User Interface” to the previous list of options posted above. Depending on what parts of the software you consider to be a problem, you might be able to tell Google exactly what you find to be an issue with Android 12L beta 1 and on a 1-10 basis, rate how it impacts your overall experience of the operating system.

Lastly, Google would like you to report any additional feedback you might have about your experiences with Android 12L beta 1.

If we can just step back into the Wayback Machine for a moment, you might remember that Google and Motorola were BFFs during those early days of Android. That is why the Motorola DROID was the first handset to be powered by Android 2.0 when released in November 2009. That build of Android was far superior to the previous one and included turn-by-turn directions for Google Maps.

Google failed to support Honeycomb, its previous version of Android dedicated to large-screened devices

So when Motorola was ready to release the Xoom tablet, the company was the first to include the dedicated tablet version of Android, Android 3.0 Honeycomb. And just as Verizon was included in the DROID development process with Motorola and Google, it was the same trio behind the Xoom.

Hopefully, Google learned a lesson and won’t repeat its mistake with Android 12L.