Android 12 beta has been released, adding new features that you probably never thought to use. Weird, right? But if you think it's weird, don't dismiss it.

The latest version of the beta allows you to map various facial "gestures" to specific functions. The biggest feature? It works on older android phones.

This new feature is part of Beta 12.0.0 of the Android Accessibility Suite and is included as part of Android 12 Beta 4. The feature is called Camera Switch and uses the phone's front camera to recognize facial expressions. [So there is no need for fancy additional hardware like the infrared camera or dot projector in the Pixel 4's Face Unlock. [Facial "gestures" made with the camera switch can open notifications, scroll back and forth, go to the home screen, or select something on the screen. All of these options are consistent with the fact that the camera switch is an Android accessibility tool.

However, you cannot create your own facial expressions and map them to the camera app, for example. Instead, Android has a number of preconfigured facial gestures that can be enabled and customized. As with touch gestures.

Facial gestures include opening the mouth, smiling, raising the eyebrows, and looking in different directions. Just note that the face must return to its original position before Android 12 recognizes the action. If desired, the size and duration of the gesture can be customized.

You should be aware, however, that using the camera switch will result in a constant notification that the phone's camera is in use.

Nevertheless, it may also be useful in situations where a healthy person cannot fiddle with his/her phone. For example, if they are driving a car and need to operate the phone's screen in a way that voice control cannot.

The best part of the camera switch is that it is not a feature exclusive to Android 12 beta; XDA Developers was able to load the updated Accessibility Suit APK into Android 11 as well. So those who may not have the Android beta but don't mind the risk and complexity of installing the APK themselves can try out Camera Switches. It is not certain, though, whether Google's Android team plans to officially release this tool for older versions of Android.