Android 11

Like everything else, 2020’s Android developer previews and betas were impacted by the major goings-on of our time. The cycle notably started a month earlier and it closes a month later than normal, though this is the second year that has occurred. Android 11 today is ready to launch and rolling out now to the latest Pixel phones. The latest version of Google’s mobile operating system is characterized by three major themes: Controls, People, and Privacy.
Expand Expanding CloseOnePlus has been working for a fair bit now on its OxygenOS 11 release, powered by Android 11, and the company has released a few preview versions to date. In the latest release, Developer Preview 4, we’ve uncovered a few new features and details about what the company is working on. Here’s a quick look.
Expand Expanding CloseOnePlus shocked many of its fans this month when it unveiled OxygenOS 11 and the major redesign that comes with it. Now, in a forum post, OnePlus explains why it made the decisions it did with the design of OxygenOS 11 and how those decisions will benefit users.
Expand Expanding ClosePassword managers have been able to use Android’s autofill APIs for a few years now. In Android 11, the feature is getting a boost. Your keyboard will be able to trigger autofill in Android 11, and now, Dashlane is adding support for that feature.
Expand Expanding CloseEarlier this month, the Nest Hub Max started appearing in the Android 11 power menu. The latest Google Home app now lets you add every Nest, Home, and Cast device for quick control on Android 11.
Expand Expanding CloseIn addition to posting the factory images, the Pixel 4a can now be enrolled in the Android 11 Beta. This was promised at the start of August, and comes as the upcoming version of Android is nearing a public launch.
Expand Expanding CloseEarlier this month, Google rolled out two big sleep-related features to all Android phones through the Clock app. On Android 11, Bedtime mode in Digital Wellbeing gains the ability to turn off the always-on display (AOD) at night.
Expand Expanding CloseIt emerged on Tuesday that the next version of Android will force apps to use the built-in camera and ignore third-party defaults. This is part of Android 11’s focus on privacy, with Google specifically wanting to protect location data derived from the camera.
Expand Expanding CloseStarting with Android 11 later this year, all phones will soon be able to connect wirelessly to compatible cars with Android Auto.
Expand Expanding CloseAndroid 11 has a lot of changes for good, but as we approach release some minor changes are starting to come to light that some users won’t be very happy with. Starting in Android 11, for instance, users won’t be able to select a default camera app in certain scenarios.
Expand Expanding CloseTelegram has been built up as one of the better messaging apps available today, and with its latest updates, the app is getting two solid upgrades. Alongside the overdue arrival of video calling, Telegram is also supporting Android 11’s best messaging feature.
Expand Expanding CloseOxygenOS 11 has landed on OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro devices as the Android 11 Beta 3, but it might prove to be the biggest overhaul the third-party skin has seen for some time.
Expand Expanding CloseAfter debuting some major updates in HydrogenOS yesterday, OnePlus is announcing the final developer preview for Android 11 on its Western-released software, OxygenOS. For better or worse, the changes debuted in HydrogenOS are making their way to all OnePlus users.
Expand Expanding CloseAutofill has been a key feature of Android since the 8.0 Oreo release, but the implementation has always felt a little sloppy and unreliable. In Android 11, it seems Google is finally ready to improve autofill in a pretty obvious way — by using the keyboard.
Expand Expanding CloseAndroid 11 is in preparation for OnePlus smartphones, and it seems the company has plans to make some bigger changes than usual to its software. Now, OnePlus has released details on its Android 11 update that reveal Samsung’s One UI is a clear source of inspiration.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle on Thursday released the final preview of the next major version of its mobile operating system. Like with the first two releases, an Android 11 Beta 3 survey seeks one last round of feedback.
Expand Expanding CloseAhead of more news coming next week, OnePlus has today released a couple of teaser images to hype up its Android 11-based OxygenOS update which includes a few notable changes.
Expand Expanding CloseThe final addition to the testing phase of Android 11 has dropped with Beta 3. As the last in the trio — not including the 1.5 and 2.5 updates — don’t go in expecting huge wholesale changes. We’re on countdown now until the full OS release in early September 2020 but even so, we’ve still done plenty of digging since the preview dropped to find out just what new features you might be interested in.
Expand Expanding CloseWhile we dig through the last Android 11 Beta update, one thing that might make you more inclined to download is the addition of Google’s brand-new emoji designs.
Expand Expanding CloseThanks to the Android 11 Beta 3 update you can now force your device to adopt the 90Hz refresh rate wherever possible on your Pixel 4 or 4 XL.
Expand Expanding CloseIf you are not content with the most recent Android 11 Beta build on your Google Pixel, it’s probably music to your ears knowing that you can downgrade your OS to a stable version of Android 10 if you encounter any major problems.
One of the more drastic changes so far in Android 11 is that media apps and their controls now have a dedicated place, bundled in with your quick settings tiles, a feature called “media resumption.” With Android 11 Beta 3, you can now swipe away those media player controls altogether, if you really want to.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle just dropped the latest Android 11 beta this afternoon, and within it is the brand new Easter Egg! Here’s what it delivers.
Expand Expanding CloseWith Android 11 Beta 3, Google is close to publicly releasing the latest version of its mobile OS. There should still be a handful of changes today and we’re tracking everything new.
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