Alright, we are officially on the final Android 12 Beta, as Google has just dropped Android 12 Beta 5 on us. This is the last beta release before the launch “in the weeks ahead,” so feel free to grab it for your Pixel phone and get to playing.
In the Android 12 Beta 5, Google is once again providing new builds for the Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, and Pixel 5, as well as the new Pixel 5a. To get the update to it, your best bet is to join the Android Beta program. Of course, if you like to do things manually, there are factory image and OTA files as well.
We shouldn’t expect a bunch of new features with this release, since this is a release candidate build. Instead, Google is squashing bugs and putting the “finishing touches” on everything prior to stable Android 12 arriving. All of the big changes should have been inside Beta 4, which pushed Android 12 to Platform Stability.
How to install Android 12 Beta 5
Release date: September 8, 2021
Build: SPB5.210812.002
Emulator support: x86 (64-bit), ARM (v8-A)
Security patch level: August 2021
Google Play services: 21.26.21
Android Beta Program
The easiest way to grab the Android 12 Beta 4 build is through the Android Beta program. The Android Beta program lets you add your supported Pixel devices to whatever new build of Android that Google is testing and get those sent to your phone like any normal over-the-air-update.
To sign-up for the Android 12 Beta, head over to the Android Beta site here.
If you are already in the Android Beta program, you will get this update over-the-air, so start checking by heading into Settings>System>System update>Check for update.
Factory Image / OTA Files
If you don’t feel like waiting for the over-the-air beta update to show up, you can always manually flash factory image or OTA files. Not that this process is that hard, but it does require ADB and a little action in a command prompt. These files are almost always posted and installed quicker than an over-the-air update, so you decide what to do. Your boy will be flashing an OTA file, as it doesn’t factory wipe your phone.
To find instructions on how to update to Android 12 manually, we’ve got you covered right here. To download the latest Android 12 factory images or OTA files, Google has them here and here.
Android 12 is almost here!