Google is rolling out the first Android 12 Developer Preview and the system’s screenshot tool is among the biggest user-side alterations. That’s not just in terms of UI either. Although there are a few changes there as well. The company is also reportedly adding new ways to interact with and change screenshots.
In terms of the screenshot tool user interface, there are a couple of noteworthy differences in Android 12. That’s setting aside differences in how screenshots work on devices that stray further from stock. For starters, the company has removed the ‘x’ icon that’s typically used for closing out the screenshot UI. Instead, a swipe on the notification bubble will remove the interface from the screen.
The undo and redo buttons have moved too, as Google has included a new bottom-based toolbar. The buttons are placed at the top of the screen next to the share and trash icons, respectively.
Add emoji and text to your screenshot in Android 12
Now, the new bottom bar doesn’t look exactly the same after the update either. The first option on the left is a crop icon that houses cropping and related tools. The pen, highlighter, and eraser icons occupy the right-hand side of the pane. But there are two new options as well.
The first is a text-adding icon, denoted by an icon comprised of two differently-sized upper-case ‘T’s. As might be expected, tapping that reveals color options for the text and — via pinch controls — a way to rotate and resize text.
Secondary to that, Google has also added a sticker-style icon to the bottom bar. With that tool selected, users can scroll through emojis and add those to their screenshots.
When will these markup tools be added on the stable side?
Now, Android 12 isn’t expected to be finalized until sometime later in the year. Presumably around the September timeframe. So these new features aren’t likely going to show up until then. The tools will almost certainly undergo some changes and refinement in the meantime as well.