A well-known developer, @kdrag0n, spotted yet another interesting change in Android 12 Developer Preview 2, a texture ripple animation for taps. This new change only follows a ton of others @kdrag0n spotted since Android 12 Developer Preview 1 and 2 landed.
This new animation is documented as a part of the RippleDrawable animation style. It was first added back in Android 5.0 Lollipop, which is quite interesting. This new animation offers a textured animation, which is centered on the main tap point.
Android 12 DP2 textured ripple animation got shown off by a developer
The animation itself is quite difficult to explain with words, so it would be best if you check it out yourself. You can see it in the video provided below, which the developer shared on Twitter.
On Android 12 DP2, a new “patterned” ripple effect is available. There’s also a new overscroll effect, where the content bounces (like iOS) instead of showing a ripple at the edge. pic.twitter.com/mexbt9X7O6
— kdrag0n (@kdrag0n) March 19, 2021
One thing to note is that this animation doesn’t seem to be enabled by default for any of Android’s standard menus. That may change moving forward, though, in future Android 12 Developer Previews or Betas.
We still have several Android 12 Developer Previews to go through before Betas come knocking. Following all that, a stable build of Android 12 is expected in August. So there’s still plenty of time before that happens.
Android 12 Developer Preview 1 and 2 delivered quite a few changes already. They are a clear indication that a more significant UI change is coming to Android. We’ll also see a ton of changes under the hood.
The theming system is coming to Android 12, it seems
Something that many people will look forward to in Android 12 is probably the theming system. By the time a stable build arrives, the theming system may not be included, but chances are it will, everything points to it.
You will no longer have to choose between a light and dark theme, as many more colors will be on offer. Google is also planning to offer scrollable screenshots, it seems, and conversation widgets as well.
These are only some examples of upcoming changes, as there are a ton of them. More will pop up in the coming Developer Previews and Beta builds, so stay tuned.