After four software advances, Google released Android 11 as a public beta, meaning anyone who wants to install it on their Pixel smartphone can do so. It is no longer a complicated process.
It’s currently only available for download on selected Pixel phones, but installation is much easier than it was during the review phase of development. You need to follow the process.
When will Android 11 be released?
Beta is now live; the public version arrives in September 2020.
As with many presentations and launch events for 2020, Google was planning to change its ad online. Unfortunately, the Android 11 beta was initially scheduled to run at 11 a.m. ET was postponed to June 3.
Instead of a significant internet discovery, Google just released it in a press release and made the beta available on June 11.
While the second public beta is currently out, the official public version of the software is unlikely to ensue until later. Google seems to be saying it will be September 8, but that could change all the same.
What phones will receive Android 11?
Initially, the following Google Pixel phones were released:
- Pixels 2 and 2 XL
- Pixels 3 and 3 XL
- Pixel 3a and 3a XL
- Pixels 4 and 4 XL
After the arrival of the public beta, other manufacturers launched their beta programs. OnePlus and Oppo have released Android 11 beta apps for some of their flagship phones.
Specifically, the 8 Series is included for the OnePlus, while the Find X2 and Find X2 Pro are included for the Oppo; for sister brand Realme, the X50 Pro is on the program.
Xiaomi also announced that it would be released on the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, while Poco has announced that it will come on the F2 Pro.
Message bubbles and “priority” conversations
When you receive a message through a classic messaging app, you can make the notification appear in a floating bubble on your screen, much like Facebook Messenger Chat Heads.
Eventually, it will be available for other third-party apps, but there is currently only one. To use it, tap and hold the message notification and tap “Show in a bubble,” and now you get your bubbles.
Until you undo the bubble from the screen, all new messages will appear as a window for that bubble. We assume the same method will be applied as long as app developers like WhatsApp and Telegram implement their apps’ capability.
Also, when you get a message from a contact you want to talk to often, you can press and hold the notification and make that conversation a priority. This means that you will receive your notifications even when your phone is on “Do Not Disturb.”
Revamped reviews
The good news is that Android 11 operates and categorizes notifications into relevant groups. Hence, conversations, like the text as mentioned above messages, appear at the top in its easy-to-read section, making it easy to respond quickly, and continue with your tasks. Separate them from other things that you probably don’t care much about.
Others are then divided into alert notifications and silent notifications. The first refers to system notifications where something may be running in the background. The latter applies to apps that receive a lot of alerts that you don’t necessarily have to see or hear. So social networks and emails fit well here.
Additionally, the actual visual notification interface has been changed and developed during the review phase of Android 11. Some banners and gradients have been added in the latest update, giving it a bit more finesse.
New power menu with smart home controls
With Android 11, the interface that appears when you press and hold the power button on the side is much more useful. It shows you the usual power on, reset and emergency contact options, and simple access to GPay and smart home controls.
So you can quickly turn smart products on or off or touch and maintain your widgets to customize them in more detail mode.
New media player widget
Any app that plays media files on your device will create a widget in the quick-setting drop-down menu, with a colored background matching the album art.
We tested it with Tidal, but it will work with almost any multimedia application. As a little bonus, when you hit the play/pause button, you get a beautiful wavy animation.
Also, there is a more natural way to change the media output so that you can play it on your device, headphones and stream it to your TV or audio transmitter.
A variable window from one image to another
Whenever you close a video app like Netflix or YouTube on Android, it automatically places the video in a minute floating window on top of everything else and resumes playing the video. In the Android 11 developer review, Google added the ability to resize windows from picture to picture.
Screen recording
One cool new feature that some other Android phones already have, like the OnePlus 8 and 7T phones, is the easy screen recording. Run a quick setup tone, and the option is there.
After tapping on the quick screen to set the recording screen, a pop-up window will appear, asking you to prove whether you want to start recording permanently. Before you start, you can choose whether you wish to record the sound through the microphone or whether you desire to record the audio directly from the device.
After confirmation, it will record what you are doing on the phone before deciding to stop and save the recording. You can also cancel the registration at any time.
Smart application tips?
When you install Android 11 for the first time, a pop-up window will appear, asking if you want to use the dock generated automatically by Google.
Instead of selecting the four or five apps you want at the bottom of each home screen, Google fills that area with what it thinks it wants to access. It hasn’t been that helpful so far, but it’s likely to improve as the phone learns usage patterns.
New recent apps screen
On the recent apps screen, there’s an intriguing change in the latest developer browser, which removes the quick app tips and replaces them with a screenshot/share option. Also, the thumbnail tabs of all recent apps have been expanded.
In the fourth developer preview, Google added a “Select” button to the bottom row of symbols on the Recent Apps screen to enable it more transparent. You can manually select text or images from the thumbnail of apps.
Moreover, when you swipe a card with your finger to delete/clear it from memory, there is an undo option which enables you to recover it after accidentally swiping your finger.
Sensitivity gestures back
When you have enabled Android gesture navigation, swiping from the edge replaces the “back” button.
In Android 11, you can customize this gesture’s sensitivity, and it will come in handy if you are in an app with its dedicated controls and gestures near the edge of the screen. You can even customize the settings on either side of the screen.
iPhone-like screenshots visuals
Like other manufacturers of Android, and the iPhone, they do, when you take a screenshot, at the bottom region of the screen, you will see a little thumbnail of that screenshot.
It has a small “x” to remove, as well as “share” and “edit” options. This expresses that there is no longer a full notification at the top of the screen.
Programming in dark mode
Dark Mode first appeared as a system-wide setup on Android 10, and with Android 11, you can schedule and automate it. Set the time you want to manually turn on or off each day by setting the time in settings.
Like many apps and other Android phones, you can choose to wake up at sunset and turn it off at sunrise.
Unique app permissions
One-time permissions are perhaps one of the essential privacy-based features. It lets you tell an app that you can only access its location once you use it instead of having to choose between “constantly,” “only when I use it,” or “never.”. ” It gives you a lot more control.
Voice access: phone voice control
One pretty smart accessibility feature is the ability to control your phone with your voice through Google Voice Access. When activated, you can do everything just by talking. If you want to launch the app, you can or even compose a message, send a tweet, and view your photos.
It also assigns numbers to specific commands in the user interface. This means, for example, if the number “12” is above the “X” in the corner of the number “1” is above the “delete” button, you can say those numbers, and they will run these commands as if you had pressed them on the screen.
