Google brings Android 12L to the Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro

By Michael Allison Published March 21, 2022

Google today rolled out the March Feature Drop and Android 12L to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro after a release came to older Pixels in the first week of March. The delayed release comes after a second such delay for Google’s newest phones, raising concerns of teething issues with the company’s Tensor processor.

With the March Feature Drop and Android 12L, Google is bringing a few quality of life improvements to the Pixels. It’s adding Night Sight support to the Snapchat app, allowing for better nighttime photography when using the popular social media app. It’s also improving the Pixel’s smart Live Caption feature to allow users to “type” their phone calls out and have an automated voice transcribe incoming audio and read text out to the person on the other end.

Recommended Videos

Google also highlights app updates (some of which have already rolled out), including a new battery widget coming to the Style and Wallpapers app, new YouTube integration in the Messages app, and YouTube live sharing with the Duo video calling app, much like Apple’s Share Play.

Android 12L changes are displayed on tablets against a green and blue background.. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Android 12L for its part is a smaller update as far as Pixels go. There are small interface changes with a smaller clock face for the lock screen, nicer wallpaper and widget pickers, and tweaks to the notification center. The multitasking menu also sees some tweaks for people who want to use split-screen often.

While it’s finally here, Android 12L has been a deeply weird release for Google. It was initially positioned as bringing improvements to large-screened devices like tablets and foldables, but Android 12L remains exclusive to Pixels for now. While the Pixel 6 Pro can charitably be counted as a “large-screened device” if one were to tinker with display settings, Google’s reticence to launch a successor to the Pixel C has hamstrung the effectiveness of its Android 12L release. The lack of a big-screen app push directed from Google has also served to underline the inadequacy of the update, especially when the likes of Samsung already have competent Android-powered operating systems for its own tablets.

Michael Allison

Former Mobile News Writer

A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…

Topics

Phones

I visited Infinix’s first global flagship store, and it’s unlike any phone store I’ve been to

Phones, coffee, and robots: Infinix's Bali concept store was a delightful surprise

Infinix Flagship Store

I've been to plenty of smartphone stores over the years, and I can't tell any of these experiences apart. Picture neatly arranged tables, rows of smartphones, and the occasional accessory tucked away in a corner. Honestly, this works for most people who show up knowing exactly what they need and just leave.

So, when Infinix invited me to Bali for the grand opening of its first global flagship concept store, I was curious to see what the company had planned. I expected an elaborate showroom and a few extra things, like eye-catching installations to celebrate the occasion. And while there were a few of these, a lot of the things that actually caught my eye were permanent parts of the store.

Phones

Apple’s supply chain power is legendary, but a new report says it’s downright brutal

Whatever you've heard before, the reality is a lot more shocking.

Teradown view of an iPhone.

Ever wonder just how powerful Apple’s market status is? To give you an idea, here’s a passage from a searing report published by The Wall Street Journal published a few days ago:

“Around the end of 2015, Sandisk refused Apple’s requests to send additional supply because it already had customers willing to pay more. Blevins threatened a Sandisk salesman with retaliation, saying he would have Sandisk’s chief executive, Sanjay Mehrotra, “crawl on his knees” back to Apple, according to a person familiar with the call."

Phones

Android’s new ‘SMS of Death’ exploit can crash your phone without you doing anything

A malicious text message can disrupt calls and leave an Android phone stuck in a reboot loop, without the owner knowing what happened.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone in blue color.

A security researcher has uncovered a serious vulnerability in Android that allows an attacker to remotely crash a smartphone using a specially crafted text message. Dubbed "SMS of Death," the flaw can disrupt cellular services, disconnect ongoing calls, and even leave a phone stuck in a reboot loop. The troubling part is that the recipient doesn't have to interact with it at all.

The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-58882, was discovered by security researcher Mark Blaszczyk, who first notified Google about it in May. On October 29, he published his findings alongside a working demonstration, after successfully reproducing the attack on Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Google has already developed a fix, but its availability across Android devices is another matter.