Microsoft is working hard to finalize the next major OS update for Surface Duo, which is based on Android 12L and is expected to ship in the coming weeks. According to my sources, the update will feature a refreshed design with Windows 11-inspired “Fluent” elements in many areas, such as the Microsoft Launcher notification shade, settings app, and activity stream.
Contacts say they expect blurrier surfaces and effects in a number of places in the OS, as well as smoother animations when using gesture navigation to open and close apps . Toggles, buttons, and notification boxes have also been updated to reflect the new design style.
Android 12L will mark the first time that Microsoft applies its own Fluent design (opens in a new tab) language to Android, as previous versions have stuck to Google’s hardware designs. I understand that this decision to incorporate Fluent design is part of a larger effort to better highlight Surface Duo as a great Windows companion device while still maintaining a familiar Android experience.
The company wants to position Surface Duo as an extension of your Windows PC, and incorporating the Windows 11 design language in certain areas certainly helps sell that idea. For example, I hear that the quick settings area in the Android notification shade now looks like the quick settings panel on Windows 11. The settings app now also uses Windows 11 style icons for the different categories of settings.
Additionally, there is a new “pen menu” interface that appears when the user presses the top button on the Surface Slim Pen 2. Similar to the pen menu in Windows 11, this interface is fully customizable, with the ability to add shortcuts to any app you have installed. It will also display your pen’s battery level.
Android 12L also introduces Android’s new wallpaper-based theme support, where users will be able to set a system accent color based on the dominant wallpaper color they have set. This is a feature that is similar to what Windows already has.
Another feature coming soon to Surface Duo includes a new “Duo Connect” mode for enterprise customers, which will provide a seamless style experience when connected to a large external display, powered by the Windows 365 cloud PC service. It’s unclear if this will be there with 12L on day one or if this is a feature that will arrive in a later update.
As for the Microsoft Launcher itself, aside from minor design updates to bring it in line with the rest of the new design on Android 12L, not much will change with it, at least for now. I hear the Android 12L “taskbar” UI indicating that devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 feature will not be present on the Surface Duo.
The Android 12L update for Surface Duo 1 and Surface Duo 2 is now in its final stages of testing and should start rolling out in the next few weeks, likely late October or early November, assuming no mind-blowing bugs. was found before that date. .