Microsoft has its Surface Duo lineup of phones, and they’ve gotten a lot of criticism over the less-than-perfect optimization for the Android operating system. The device does a lot of stuff with Android that it’s not really meant to do. However, Windows 12L seems to be the solution, as it’s a more tablet-friendly version of Android. The company announced earlier this year that it was going to bring this version of Android to its phones, and that appears to be happening.
The Surface Duo2 will get Android 12L before the year is out
Windows Central posted some screenshots of a Surface Duo with the new software loaded on. Microsoft uses a modified Android skin for its Duos, but it’s not too far off from stock Android. However, with this update, it seems that Microsoft wanted to take the software in a different direction. We see some Material You influence with this leak. For starters, when you summon the notification shade, you’ll be met with four Quick Settings. You can access more by swiping down again. Also, you’ll be glad to know that this phone will use the Dynamic Color theme picker. You’ll see other bits of Material You throughout the interface, but it seems that Microsoft also added in some Windows 11 influence as well. Looking at the quick settings again, you’ll see that they’re shaped just like the buttons in the Windows 11 settings panel. Also, the settings app is full of Windows 11 icons. All of this is reminiscent of Windows 11’s Fluent design language. Microsoft announced that this update will be coming to the Surface Duo 2 this year. Since we’re already halfway through October, it means that there’s not much time to wait.
