13 Tips and Tricks to Customize Android 12
Android 12 brings a host of exciting new customization features to enhance your user experience. From stylish clock widgets to themed icons, there are plenty of options to personalize your device. In this article, we will explore 13 tips and tricks to help you make the most out of Android 12 customization.
Use New Clock Styles
Android 12 introduces a collection of stylish clock widgets for your home screen. Choose from five different clock designs, including analog and digital options. What's even more interesting is that these widgets change color based on your wallpaper, adding a dynamic touch to your device.
To add these clocks to your home screen, press and hold anywhere on the screen, select “Widgets,” and expand the “Clock widget” option. Drag your preferred clock type onto the home screen and choose a clock style from the available options.
Look for New Widgets
Android 12 brings new designs and styles to various widgets, including Google's weather widget. Keep an eye out for updates to widgets for apps like Google Drive, Gmail, and YouTube Music in the future.
Edit Widgets Quickly
Editing widgets has become easier in Android 12. Instead of deleting a widget to make changes, you can now edit supported widgets directly from the home screen. Simply touch and hold a widget, then tap the edit icon to bring up the editing screen. Customize the clock style for the Clock widget or choose a different conversation for the conversation widget.
Change Phone's Color Palette
Android 12 allows you to customize your phone's color palette based on your wallpaper. The primary colors in your wallpaper will be automatically detected and applied to various areas of your phone, such as Quick tiles, Settings, App drawer, and more.
To customize your phone's color palette, touch and hold anywhere on the home screen, select “Wallpaper & style” from the menu, and change the wallpaper using the “Change wallpaper” button. You can then choose a color palette from the Wallpaper colors tab or select a single theme color from the Basic colors tab.
Use Themed Icons
Android 12 lets you apply the wallpaper color palette to your app icons on the home screen. Enable the “Themed icons” setting under “Settings > Wallpaper & styles” to create a uniform color scheme across your device. Please note that this feature currently only works for Google app icons and not third-party apps or the app drawer.
Make Gboard Theme Match With Wallpaper
Gboard, the default keyboard in Android 12, supports dynamic themes based on your wallpaper. To enable this feature, open the Gboard settings, go to “Theme,” and enable “Dynamic color theme.”
Dim Screen
Android 12 offers the Extra Dim feature, allowing you to further customize the brightness of your screen. Use Extra Dim to reduce brightness beyond the minimum level, giving you more control over your device's display. Enable this feature in “Settings > Accessibility.”
Bold Text
Customize the appearance of text on your Android 12 device by enabling the “Bold text” option in “Settings > Accessibility > Text and display.” This feature makes the text bolder and more prominent.
Use One-handed Mode
Android 12 introduces the one-handed mode to Stock Android, allowing you to easily use phones with large screens. This mode shrinks the content to the bottom half of the screen, making it easily accessible with one hand.
To enable one-handed mode, go to “Settings > System > Gestures > One-handed mode” and turn on the toggle. Activate the mode by swiping down on the bottom edge of the screen and return to full-screen mode by swiping up or tapping anywhere in the empty area above the app.
Access Notification Panel From Bottom Edge
In addition to the traditional swipe-down gesture, Android 12 lets you open the notification panel by swiping down on the bottom edge of the screen. This feature is accessible from the One-handed mode screen.
To enable this feature, navigate to “Settings > System > Gestures > One-handed mode,” turn on the toggle for “Use one-handed mode,” and tap on “Show notifications.”
Customize Universal Search
Android 12 introduces universal search in the Pixel launcher, allowing you to search for apps, people, settings, and more. Customize the search results by tapping on the three-dot icon in the app drawer, selecting “Preferences,” and disabling the items you don't want to appear in the search results.
Hide or Show Keyboard in App Drawer
If you find the keyboard appearing automatically in the app drawer bothersome, you can hide it. Tap the three-dot icon in the app drawer and select “Always hide keyboard” to prevent the keyboard from showing up when you open the app drawer.
Add Google Assistant to Power Button
For quick access to Google Assistant, you can assign it to the Power button. Simply go to “Settings > System > Gestures > Press and hold power button” and enable the “Hold for assistant” toggle. Press and hold the power button to activate Google Assistant.
Enable App Suggestions
Android 12 allows you to customize app suggestions by enabling or disabling them in the list of all apps and on the home screen. You can also prevent specific apps from appearing in the app suggestions.
To customize app suggestions, touch and hold the home screen, press the “Home settings” button, and tap on “Suggestions.” Use the available settings to personalize your app suggestions.
Customizing your Android 12 device is all about making it your own. From clock styles to themed icons and one-handed mode, these tips and tricks will help you personalize your device and create a unique user experience. Explore the various customization options available and make Android 12 truly yours.

Jim's passion for Apple products ignited in 2007 when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. This was a canon event in his life. Noticing a lack of iPad-focused content that is easy to understand even for “tech-noob”, he decided to create Tabletmonkeys in 2011.
Jim continues to share his expertise and passion for tablets, helping his audience as much as he can with his motto “One Swipe at a Time!”