iQOO Android 12 Update Release Date Revealed: Features, List Of Compatible Phones

Last Updated on October 24, 2021 by Asif Iqbal Shaik

After Google launched its new Pixel smartphones—Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro—it also released the Android 12 update to older pixel devices. Now, other smartphone brands have started sharing the Android 12 update roadmaps for their smartphones and tablets. iQOO, an Android smartphone brand known for its gaming and value flagship smartphones, has announced the Android 12 updates for its smartphones. The announcement comes a day after its sister brand, Vivo, revealed its Funtouch OS 12 (Android 12) update release date, features, and compatible phones. iQOO Android 12 update release date will be somewhere towards the end of December 2021.

The software will be a rebadged version of the Funtouch OS 12 by Vivo. iQOO will be pushing out the Android 12 Beta build for its smartphones in a phased manner. Let us have a look at some top iQOO Android 12 update features and the list of compatible smartphones and when they will get the update.

Top iQOO UI Android 12 (Funtouch OS 12) Update Features

1. Tweaked UI, New Widgets

The iQOO Android 12 update is based on Vivo’s Funtouch OS 12 software, and it will mostly get the same features and design upgrades. There will be very few differentiating elements compared to Vivo’s Funtouch OS 12 UI. The Interface is expected to receive some tweaks and will come with updated widgets. The widgets will be carried over from the much-famed Origin OS which is used in Vivo smartphones in China.

The ‘Nano’ music player widget will you to access local songs and Spotify right from the home screen. The new widgets can be accessed by opening the ‘Apps Menu’. One annoying aspect of the iQOO’s UI has been the quick switching between recent apps, which wasn’t possible with screen gesture mode ‘ON’. This issue will be resolved in the latest update.

2. Features Android 12’s Material UI-Inspired Elements & Design Tweaks

The minimalistic-yet-colourful Material You design theme by Google is highly unlikely to make it to iQOO’s version. Instead, it might utilise Google’s Monet Engine, which dynamically changes the colours of the UI elements like the clock, notification toggles, notifications menu, and more to match the user’s selected home screen wallpaper. The ‘Monster Gaming Mode’ based on Multi-Turbo 5.0 of Funtouch OS is expected to bring few performance improvements. Lastly, reduced bloatware and improved security would be some of the other mention-worthy features you would be getting with the upcoming OS update.

3. Google Dialer Will Replace Existing iQOO Dialer, Google Chrome Will Replace iQOO Web Browser

The iQOO dialer app will be replaced with the popular Google Dialer app, which will notify the caller when you start recording the conversation. Similarly, the iQOO browser will be replaced by the Google Chrome web browser as default. Hence, bloatware will be reduced, and you can expect to see fewer annoying push notifications and recommendations.

4. Faster Performance, Improved Gaming With Multi-Turbo 5.0

With the Android 12 update, iQOO phones could see faster performance and improved power efficiency. The company has teased the Multi-Turbo 5.0 feature for gaming that will reduce the lag and offer a more immersive gaming experience.

5. Improved Privacy Features

The iQOO Android 12 update is expected to bring quick setting toggles to restrict the background usage of the camera and the microphone. This makes it easier for users to stop shady apps from using the camera and microphone in the background. This Android 12 feature will also notify you via an icon towards the top of the screen when an app, game, or service is using your phone’s camera or microphone.

6. Improved Virtual RAM

Android 12 now comes with the Virtual RAM expansion feature, which was already present on smartphones from iQOO and Vivo running Funtouch OS 11. So, expect the feature to be retained in the upcoming update. In fact, it could be improved and come pre-installed on all phones running iQOO’s Android 12-based software.

iQOO Android 12 Update Release Date, List Of Eligible Devices

While the iQOO 12 update release date has not been revealed by the company yet, it has shared the release timelines. You can see them in the list below

December 2021 End

• iQOO 7 Legend
• iQOO 7
• iQOO Z3
• iQOO Z5

March 2022 End

• iQOO 3 4G
• iQOO 3 5G

The company’s recent flagship phones—iQOO 7 and iQOO 7 Legend—will get the Android 12 Beta update towards the end of December 2021. Upper mid-range devices like the iQOO Z3 and the recently-launched iQOO Z5 will get the Android 12 update in December 2021 as well. iQOO’s first flagship smartphone in India, the iQOO 3, was launched in early 2020 and it was promised to get two major Android OS updates. As per the company’s promise, it will receive the Android 12 update, but towards the end of March 2022.

iQOO will release the Android 12-based iQOO UI (Funtouch OS 12) in Beta form. The stable version will follow once the testing phase is complete. With this update, we will slowly see features of the Origin OS trickling down into iQOO UI. While flagships like the iQOO 7 and iQOO 7 Legend will be able to handle the heavy skin derived from Origin OS, it remains to be seen how the mid-range devices like iQOO Z3, iQOO Z5 would perform.

Should You Update iQOO 3 To Android 12 After The Update Arrives?

The iQOO 3 is towards the end of its update cycle, with Android 12 being its last major OS update. Hence, it is recommended to not update the iQOO 3 as soon as it is released, as it is a two-year-old phone and the update might slow down the handset. Gamers would be aware of how the Poco F1’s performance was throttled heavily after a year of its launch due to a buggy software update. Similarly, the likes of Realme X3, X3 Super Zoom, and Realme X50 were performance-restricted after the Realme UI 2.0 update. So, hit the ‘Update’ button wisely as brands tend to be step-motherly towards their older devices.