Last week, Google published the fifth (and most likely final) Android 12 beta, saying that the stable release was only a few more weeks out. We originally speculated that the day could come as soon as September 13, which would be today. But in case that doesn’t pan out, XDA’s Mishaal Rahman managed to obtain an internal Google document that could point to a much later date: October 4.
The document in question, visible in the tweet below, is meant to inform manufacturers about deadlines revolving around shipping hardware with Google-approved software, ensuring that devices don’t launch with super-outdated OS versions. Along with these deadlines, the document also mentions the AOSP release dates for Android 10, 11, and 12. Interestingly enough, the Android 10 and 11 AOSP dates line up with the stable release dates of the two updates. And looking further back, the Android 9 AOSP release date also coincides with the stable Android 9 launch.
Since it’s unlikely that Google will switch up these things for the Android 12 launch, that leave us with a potential release date for the latest Google OS: October 4, 2021.
The Android 12 stable update may be released on October 4, as that’s when Google plans to release to AOSP. This tentative release date was also mentioned by a 3PL. pic.twitter.com/PMN802gQj0
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) September 12, 2021
Rahman further claims that the date was also mentioned independently by a third-party logistics partner.
XDA is usually among the better sources when it comes Android-related leaks and rumors, so we trust that this screenshot is real. However, it’s unclear when exactly the details have been obtained and if they are final or still subject to change. It’s possible that Google has decided to release Android 12 on a different date in the meantime, but if nothing has changed and if the screenshot is genuine, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company really went for the October 4 date.
In the meantime, be sure to check all the new things and features we’ve spotted in Android 12.
