Perhaps not a feature that vast majority of people were holding their breathe for. But Dual SIM Dual Standby or DSDS appears to be available in the first developer preview of Android 12. Which means that it should make its way into the next version of Android, finally.
Since the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 launched last year, they would default to falling “back to 4G networks” when two SIMs were being used. However, that is set to change in Android 12, and you’ll be able to use them both on 5G networks.
Google had noted that a workaround for it falling back to 4G networks was to temporarily turn off the SIM that isn’t set to use data, to get proper 5G reception. You could of course remove the card or delete the profile, or follow the instructions below.
How to disable SIMs through the settings app
To disable a SIM on your Pixel, simply open the settings app.
Then tap on Network & Internet.
And next tap on Mobile Network.
Now select the SIM you want to turn off.
Then Tap Use SIM.
And that’s it.
As always with features we find in developer previews of new versions of Android, this could also be removed, and not make it into the final version. But where this is not a full-fledged feature, but basically updating an already existing feature for 5G networks, it’ll likely remain. We also noticed that this change was made way back in November. So it’s something that’s been in the works for a little while.
While this may not be a big feature for Americans, those in developing countries do use Dual SIM all the time. Particularly in countries like India, where one carrier may not have the greatest coverage across the entire country. And adding it into stock Android will make it available for most smartphones.