Android 12 beta has a game mode tucked away
Android 12 beta has a game mode tucked away
In February, we first heard the murmur that Android 12 might support a game mode that is following in the footsteps of a lot of OEMs who already offer this feature. Now it looks like there is actually a game mode hidden in the Android 12 beta.
Redditor Kilarasx discovered game mode by typing Settings> Digital Wellbeing> Do Not Disturb> Schedules. In addition to the expected Sleep and Event schedules for Do Not Disturb, there is a Game Mode schedule. We were able to find this on our Pixel 4 running the beta for Android 12 – check out the screenshots below and the image pictured above.
Recognition: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
- The Android 12 Beta includes a hidden game mode in Digital Wellbeing.
- This feature allows mobile gamers to take screenshots, record gameplay, live stream, and more.
It looks like this is almost identical to the menu from XDA with the third Android developer preview. Tapping the gear icon takes you to the game mode menu (right image), which shows a total of six options. The four options above are to take a screenshot, record the screen, presumably show the frames per second, and enable / disable Do Not Disturb.
All of these options, aside from FPS toggling, seem to work for now. The screen recorder also lets you choose the audio you want to record (microphone, device audio, or both) and choose whether to show touches.
The two options below allow you to tweak the game you are playing or stream your session over YouTube Live. The former doesn’t seem to be working right now, and I haven’t met YouTube’s requirements for mobile live streaming.
Chances are, you don’t have to dig to find Game Mode in the final version of Android 12, as it would be a very inconvenient departure from the manufacturer’s implementations. Many manufacturers automatically display a game mode / tools via a small screen overlay, floating toolbar or in the notification shadow when you are playing a game.
XDA developer An early Android 12 screenshot was previously posted showing a floating game toolbar. So it seems like Google is considering a similar approach to OEMs.
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