Google has released Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 for developers which “updates WebView to fix an issue that caused some apps to crash.” It is highly likely that the WebView crash that is mentioned is connected to last week’s problem, which caused apps to crash suddenly, constantly, and randomly as part of an issue tied to Android’s WebView component.
The build information for Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 is as follows:
- Release date: March 29, 2021
- Build: SPP2.210219.008.A1
- Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
- Security patch level: March 2021
- Google Play services: 21.06.13
As with previous versions, Android 12 includes behaviour changes to help improve performance, battery life, security, and privacy. In some cases, these changes can affect apps until they are updated to support Android 12, so you might see impacts ranging from minor issues to more significant limitations.
In general, most apps will work as expected, as will most APIs and features, but there will be lots of issues remaining.
This new update is available to the Pixel 5, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 4a, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 3.
Android 12: How to install Developer Previews
Like the Android 12 Developer Preview 1.1, the update won’t be launching over-the-air to your devices. So you will need to sideload the update, or flash the entire image onto your Pixel device.
Developers can download Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 here: Factory Image | OTA
