Lost in the hubbub of yesterday's Pixel 6 launch is the fact that Android 12 shipped for older Pixel phones, too.

Google took the odd step of releasing Android 12 to Google's AOSP (Android Open Source Project) repository on October 4, but it didn't ship any finished binaries for Pixel phones, which normally get day-one updates.

During the Pixel 6 launch, Google's marketing department finally opened the floodgates with a blog post, a new website, a virtual AR statue, and builds for compatible devices.

Officially, Android 12 is out for the Pixel 5, 5a, 4, 4a, 3, and 3a.

Android 12 marks the first major update the Pixel 2 has missed out on, though it has been without security updates for a while.

Android 12 brings Android closer to the Linux kernel than ever, with fewer forks and less of a release delay between Android and Linux.

Yesterday, a post from Google's official "androidbetaprogram" Reddit account laid out the future of the beta program for enrolled users, saying, "If you take no action and keep your Pixel device enrolled in the beta program, you will automatically get the next Android 12 beta updates starting in December.".