Surface Duo 2 Receives Android 12L Update Finally

Microsoft today began distributing the Android 12L update for the Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2. As expected, the Redmond company is adapting the surface of the Google operating system for their folding smartphones so that the look is based on Windows 11.

As Microsoft announced in a blog post today, delivery of Android 12L for the first and second-generation Surface Duo will begin immediately. Both models should thus get a “closer connection” between the Windows 11 PCs of the users and the smartphone. For this purpose, the interface of Android 12L will be adapted in such a way that some elements of the design of Windows 11 will find their way.

Not just visual changes

Microsoft adopts the same iconography used in Windows 11, so you’re working with familiar icons, colors, and controls. Together with the theme engine of Android 12L, the optics are dynamically colored and can be adjusted according to the user’s wishes, with the color changes taking effect system-wide.

With Android 12L, Microsoft is also introducing the stylus menu familiar from Windows, which can be activated by pressing the button on the Surface Pen and then allows quick access to the apps most used by the user with pen input. The Redmond-based company has also introduced a new OneDrive photo widget.

There are also a number of other useful innovations. An example is a feature where you can tap a notification you’ve received and then drag the icon onto either Surface Duo or Surface Duo 2 screen. The content of the respective notification then opens in the app on the selected screen. Microsoft promotes and facilitates multitasking on the dual-screen hybrid device.

There are also improvements in the image quality of the camera, which should now deliver significantly better performance. The animations of the interface have also been optimized, which should now make the operation appear much smoother. All in all, the long wait for the Android 12L update for the Surface Duo was obviously more than worth it.

Most users should already be automatically offered the upgrade to Android 12L on their Surface Duo. If this is not the case, the update can also be downloaded directly from Microsoft’s servers and installed on the devices using the company’s instructions via sideload.