Android 11 beta: all the announcements – The Verge

Android 11’s latest beta is all about stability

2020-07-08T13:00:00-04:00

Today marks the release of Android 11's second public beta, the latest test version of the operating system that's officially due to release in the third quarter of this year. With this latest update, Google says it has achieved its new "Platform Stability" milestone - meaning, from the perspective of app developers, the operating system shouldn't change much between now and its final release. Google hasn't announced any new user features as part of its latest beta.

Platform stability means that developers can start working on their final Android 11 compatibility updates without having to worry about the platform changing between now and th …

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Five new features Android 11 borrows from the iPhone

2020-06-10T13:15:00-04:00

Android 11's first public beta has arrived today, and it brings a bunch of big new features to Google's operating system - including a few that should look pretty familiar to iOS users who have had similar functionality for some time.

It's the eternal cycle of software platforms: Apple's good ideas will almost always end up on Android at some point, even as the next version of iOS will, no doubt, crib some ideas from Android.

OS-level smart home control

One of the most noticeable new changes in Android 11 is the availability of smart home controls on an OS-level at any time through Google's new long-press power button menu. Much like on iOS …

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How to install the Android 11 public beta

2020-06-10T13:03:09-04:00

Android 11's developer preview phase has been kicking around for the past few months, but now it's in public beta. My colleague Dieter Bohn got an in-depth look at what's new. If you've got an eligible device, like a Pixel 2 or newer (phones from the likes of OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo Vivo, Sharp, Realme, and Transsion will join the ranks in the next several weeks), you can have a look, too. What's more, you no longer have to go through the tricky, fail-prone task of flashing your phone or the Android Flash Tool method. Instead, you can easily enroll it to receive the update with a few clicks, and in just a few minutes, you'll be ready to instal …

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Android 11’s first beta lands early for some Pixel owners

2020-06-02T05:18:25-04:00

Some Google Pixel owners have received the Android 11 Beta early, revealing yet more details about this year's version of Android. In a tweet, Mishaal Rahman from XDA Developers said that two Pixel 4 XL users reported having received the update, revealing new details about Android 11 features like the power button menu, three new icon shapes, and auto-generated app suggestions in the home screen dock.

Google planned to announce the Android 11 beta on June 3rd but decided to delay the launch. "Now is not the time to celebrate," the company said without linking it directly to national protests about police violence that have since gone global …

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Android 11’s power button menu leaks, showing new smart home Quick Controls

2020-06-01T11:13:43-04:00

Images from leaked developer documentation have just given us our best look yet at Android 11's new power button menu. The menu can include a series of new smart home shortcuts called "Quick Controls," which can control everything from smart lights to locks and thermostats, alongside payment options and the standard "Power off" and "Restart" buttons. The images were tweeted out by Mishaal Rahman from XDA-Developers, who credits Twitter user @deletescape as the source of the leaked documents containing the images.

We've known about these shortcuts since at least March when XDA-Developers reported on their existence, but these latest screensh …

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Google delays the Android 11 Beta announcement as protests roil US cities

2020-05-30T02:14:56-04:00

Google had been planning to unveil new features coming in Android 11 on June 3rd, but it has decided to delay the unveiling. In a tweet on Friday evening, Android's developer account said that "We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate." Google says that it will "be back with more on Android 11, soon," but did not say when that might be.

Although Google doesn't explicitly say why, the reason is very clear. The announcement comes as many American cities are filled with protests, looting, and fires. The response to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota has extended well beyond the conflict in Minn …

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Android 11’s public beta to launch with June 3rd live stream

2020-05-06T09:47:03-04:00

Google will announce the first public beta for Android 11 in a live stream at 11AM ET on June 3rd, according to a promotional video spotted by Android Police. Google has since officially announced the live stream over on its developer site. The search giant typically debuts Android's latest public beta in May each year, but the difference in 2020 is that its developer conference, Google I/O, had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Google is promising that the live stream will have "news, updates, and announcements" on "connectivity, controls, safety, security, productivity, accessibility" and more. From the early developer prev …

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Android 11 Developer Preview 2 is out with support for call screening, hinge angle detection, and more

2020-03-18T13:00:00-04:00

The upcoming Microsoft Surface Duo, which would benefit from the new features. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Almost exactly a month after it released the first Developer Preview for Android 11, Google is releasing the second one. As it's a developer preview, it's not designed to be a public beta, nor does it include all of the features we're expecting in Android 11, but there are a few new things to talk about.

At the top of that list is an API that allows a foldable to tell apps what angle the hinge is bent at. That could make it easier for devices like Microsoft's upcoming Surface Duo to change their screen state if the company adopts it. More generally, the ability for Android devices to show different things depending on where the hinges are i …

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Android 11 can tell you when your Pixel 4 isn’t placed correctly on a wireless charger

2020-03-02T14:43:26-05:00

Google is reportedly adding a useful new feature in Android 11, which will let you know when your phone isn't properly aligned on a wireless charging pad. The feature is the latest new trick discovered in Android 11 after Google released the first developer preview last month. Other new features have already been found ahead of Android 11's full release later this year. The charging notification was first spotted by Reddit user jotafett and was reported on by 9to5Google.

9to5Google's tests found that this feature works only on the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL right now, with no success when tested on a Pixel 3 XL running Android 11. Given …

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Google is cracking down on Android apps that track your location in the background

2020-02-21T07:48:45-05:00

Google is placing new restrictions on which Android apps can track your location in the background, with a new review process that will check whether an app definitely needs access to the data. The changes were announced in a blog post to Android developers earlier this week. Google says that from August 3rd all new Google Play apps that ask for background access will need to pass review, expanding to all existing apps on November 3rd.

Although location tracking is an essential feature for many apps and services, it can be pretty invasive when apps indiscriminately ask for location access. Background tracking is even worse, because it means …

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