Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 is here with fixes for WebView crashes

Google released the second Developer Preview for Android 12 two weeks ago, with new permissions, visual changes, and important bug fixes. However, it introduced a new bug that caused some applications to crash constantly, which has now been fixed. Google published Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 earlier today, which claims to fix WebView crashing issues.

There are countless reports of Google, Gmail, and other apps that rely on WebView (the system component that displays web content in native Android apps) not working properly on the Android 12 Developer Previews, though some claim a recent update to the WebView through the Play Store fixed the bugs.

The Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 update also fixes a few other problems that were frequently reported, including the back gesture not working, the clock widget breaking, and issues with NFC payments through Google Pay. The full release notes from Google is below.

Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 release notes

Developer-reported issues

Fixed an issue that prevented the go back gesture from working in certain cases. (Issue #180932529)
Fixed issues that users were having when using contactless payments through Google Pay. (Issue #180725322)
Fixed an issue that caused text in the notification drawer to be difficult to read when rendering over the top of some apps. (Issue #180647015)
Fixed an issue that caused java.lang.Deprecated to be marked as deprecated. (Issue #180705308)
Fixed an issue that prevented apps that were targeting Android 12 from using version 2.7.0-alpha01 of WorkManager. The fix is included in version 2.7.0-alpha02. (Issue #180884673)

Other resolved issues

Fixed an issue with WebView that prevented developers from enabling or testing Schemeful Same-Site changes on Android 12.
Fixed an issue where upgrading to Android 12 from a production build without wiping data could lose HID controls for previously-paired Bluetooth devices.
Fixed an issue where videos that were shared from the Camera app could be sent using the wrong encoding.
Fixed an issue that could cause the text for the clock widget on the Home screen to be cut off on some devices.
Fixed an issue where empty pages on the Home screen were sometimes not removed.
Fixed an issue that could sometimes prevent users from accessing the notification shade.

If you want to give the new Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 release a try and you're not on Android 12 already, you'll need to manually download and flash the latest available build from the Android Developers website. Those of you already on Developer Preview 1 or 2 should get the new release as an Over-The-Air (OTA) update. The list of compatible devices remains the same — you'll need a Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a/4a 5G, or Pixel 5.