But Google might change the name again

Android 12 brought a major focus on privacy and security with features like microphone and camera toggles and a much better privacy dashboard. Most of these features are well-explained, but the "Private Compute Core" was a bit of a mystery. We and others have speculated about what exactly it does and how, but a newly unearthed comment by long-time Google developer Diane Hackborn lays it all out.

The comment from Hackborn was posted on an XDA article this fall and recently spotted by former XDA editor Mishaal Rahman. Hackborn, who has been working on Android since the early days, clarified that the Private Compute Core is not related to running virtual machines. You can read Hackborn's comment in full below.

The gist as we understood it appears to be mostly correct, though. The compute core is a new kind of sandbox, joining sandboxes for apps, isolated processes, and low-level system modules. It's intended to hold onto sensitive personal data that helps to customize the Pixel experience, but it has a limited number of permissions and isn't able to interact with most other parts of the system. It doesn't get network access at all, for example.

Hackborn also notes that these features aren't necessarily unique to the Pixels. The Private Compute Core follows the Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) for content capture and app search, specifically the admonition that devs should be careful to only expose that data to specific services like the system UI and contacts.

There's one more wrinkle (isn't there always?) with regard to the Private Compute Core. After going out of its way rebranding to Private Compute Core during the beta, Android 12 appears to have switched to calling this "Android System Intelligence" in the system settings. We're not sure to what degree this branding will be exposed to users, but this is what it says right now. See above for a comparison between the initial release and the current menu. Whatever it's called, you can use the system intelligence menu to disable customization features like smart replies or to simply delete your past customization data.

Updated for the 11th Gen Fire HD 10 and HD 10 Plus

Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.