It's time to install Android 12 beta 4 as platform stability arrives

Usually we recommend that Android users dying to install the latest features on their phones by downloading a beta version of the next major build, refrain from doing so if the specific phone is used as a daily driver. That's because beta versions Android are not stable and you could lose the ability to use certain features that are important to you every day, not to forget a possible meaningful reduction in battery life.

However, now that the Android 12 beta testing has reached "platform stability," you might want to install it on your Pixel or other compatible Android phone. While the new Android 12 beta 4 release still might contain bugs, the final version of the software is going to be very close to what you would be installing today. According to Google's schedule, there is one more beta release expected between now and the final version of Android 12 and if beta 4 is still too dicey for you, you could wait for beta 5 to drop.

The one feature change that Google made to Android 12 beta 4 which is a change to Google Play Services Ad ID which will change your ID to a string of zeros if you opt out of receiving personalized ads. Pixel owners can install the Android 12 beta 4 update OTA and certain models from ASUS, OnePlus, Oppo, realme, Sharp, Tecno, TCL, Vivo, Xiaomi and ZTE are also eligible to receive the update. To find out which models from those manufacturers are involved, click on this link.

The new Material You interface is colorful and yes, these colors will change depending on the color of the wallpaper being used. Quick Settings has been updated with four tiles appearing at first with another four surfacing with a swipe down and the system can be quickly blocked from accessing the camera and microphone. And the new Privacy Dashboard shows you what data is being looked at, the apps that are doing the looking, and how often this is taking place.

Should you update now that the Android 12 beta is at platform stability? When this writer was using a Pixel 2 XL as his daily driver, he waited for platform stability to install the Android 10 beta and everything was just fine. Frankly, if yours truly still owned a Pixel that was still being supported by Google, today would be the day that I would join the Android 12 beta program. but this is a personal decision and it still comes down to whether the small risk of a bug preventing you from using a feature is too much of a dice roll for you to install Android 12 beta 4.