Android 12L Beta 1 is now available to the general public, although there’s a couple of catches involved. According to the Android developer website, the best way to experience Android 12L is via their partner Lenovo with their P12 Pro tablet, but a generic image can be flashed to Pixel devices (and more, if you’re savvy)

Given the early build status on Android 12L, we wouldn’t recommend trying to flash something like a Samsung Galaxy tablet at this stage. This option is purely for developer testing and troubleshooting and not a consumer offering at this stage (in practical applications anyway).

Android 12L is Google’s answer to the rising popularity of foldable smartphones, tablets, and ChromeOS devices (like Chromebooks). Whilst it works on handsets as well, the idea behind it is to optimize the Android 12 experience for bigger screens. Android 12L represents refinement rather than a separate operating system with changes to notifications, lock screen, quick settings, home screen, and an optional two-collum layout.

The latter is designed to take advantage of a device’s extra screen room to optimize information being shown at one time. This ties in nicely with Android 12Ls multitasking enhancements such as a taskbar, something clearly inspired by ChromeOS and Windows. This gives easier access to features such as splitscreen-mode, making multi-tasking a doddle.

How to get Android 12L Beta 1

If you have a Lenovo P12 Pro tablet, you can click here for some instructions. There’s also official guidance here on downloading and running Android 12L via emulator or on Google Pixel devices (6 and 6 Pro support will arrive at a later date). if you’re looking into compatibility or framework issues, you can download the generic system image (GSI) for Android 12L right here.

Keep an eye on and bookmark our Android and News hubs for the latest in all things Android 12L.

About the Author

Christian Wait

Christian 'Reggie' Waits' is a contributor to PC Guide, having written a wide array of how to and buying guide content.