Android 12 update brings great new customisation features to your phone

One of the things we really liked in our Google Pixel 6 Pro review was its interface, which Google calls Material You. But you don't need to buy Google's flagship or wait for Android 13 to get it on your phone, as it is shortly rolling out to most Android phones.

According to Engadget, most Android 12 phones will get Material You for free, including handsets from Samsung (almost certainly including the new Samsung Galaxy S22 and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra), OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, realme, Xiaomi and more.

Material You is a knowing reference to the Material Design makeover Android got seven years ago, and it makes Android much more, well, you. So it's great to see that it'll be making its way to most Android 12 devices.

Make your Android phone more you

The idea behind Material You is very simple: instead of Google bossing you about with its design and colour choices, you choose the theme you want and it'll be carried across all of your Google products. Many of Google's products have been updated to Material You already, but at first the only phones to get it were the Pixel and a few Samsung devices – including the Samsung Galaxy S22. Now, though, we'll see Material You rolling out to many of the other best Android phones by Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Realme and Xiaomi too. What you end up with will depend on the manufacturers: some will leave it as-is, and others will want to put their own stamp on it.

We don't have specific dates for the rollouts yet but they're expected to happen in the coming weeks and months, so if your Android 12-compatible phone doesn't have it yet you shouldn't have to wait too long.