After Android 9 Pie launch, Google announced that they will follow a numerical order for their future OS versions. So after 2019’s Android 10, we are here to give you an insight on the upcoming Android 11. Recently, Google has launched its Android 11 developer preview. It is way ahead of Google’s yearly routine. Normally it takes till March for developer previews to come out, but this early release just shows how many new changes Android 11 is bringing with it. This is nowhere near what we will see later in the Q3 of 2020, when the stable version launches, but it’s a start to the next Android.
The Android 11 was announced officially on June 10, 2020. Currently, Beta 1 build of Android 11 has been released for all eligible phones which includes Pixel 2, 2 XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, and 4 XL devices.
Android 11 Builds | Release Timeline |
---|---|
Developer Preview 1 | February 19, 2020 |
Developer Preview 2 | March 18, 2020 |
Developer Preview 3 | April 23, 2020 |
Developer Preview 4 | May 6, 2020 |
Beta 1 | June 2020 |
Beta 2 | July 2020 |
Beta 3 | August 2020 |
Final Build | Q3 2020 |
The “Beta Launch Show” event which was set to take place on June 3 has been cancelled due to protests in the US over the killing of George Floyd. Google confirmed that they will unveil the Android 11 at that event. But, Google had postponed the June 3rd event.
Finally, On June 10, Google has launched Android 11 through short-form videos and web pages.
The first Android 11 beta will roll out in June 2020 followed by the second beta in July 2020. The third beta update will release in August 2020. In Q3 2020, We will get the final stable version of the next OS.
The pixel devices are always the first ones to come with the official Android updates, following which other brands start rolling out Android for their devices. Last year it was Oneplus to follow google, this year anyone else might take that crown. After Android 11 is up and running on pixel devices, it will be distributed for any manufacturer to use and provide software updates to all the other latest smartphones.
Android 11 Update Tracker
Developer Preview
Google released the first developer preview on February 19, 2020, second developer preview on March 18, 2020, and third developer preview on April 23, 2020. Now, the company has started rolling out fourth Developer Preview for upcoming Android 11. If you’re already running Developer Preview on your device then you will receive an OTA update.
The second Preview update brings Improved Call screening service, Hinge angle for foldable devices, Scoped storage updates, Support for Variable refresh rate, Synchronized IME transitions and more. The third preview update arrives with a build number of RPP3.200230.017, April 2020 security patch and Google Play Services 20.12.14. It also includes several new features, a set of productivity improvements and bug fixes. In Preview 4, we see an incremental update for stability and performance.
The OS Preview is available on Google Pixel 4 / 4XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 3 / 3 XL, and Pixel 2 / 2 XL. If you have a Pixel device and you are a developer then you can download the Developer Preview system image and flash it to your device by clicking here.
One can install this developer version of Android, but it will be extremely buggy for normal use. It’s an OS version, intended specifically for developers and that’s what should happen.
Besides, the features that are currently available with this version might change in the stable version and many other new features will make their way into Android 11 too. So till now, what are the notable features we will see in Android 11? Let’s take a brief look into it.
- Mute notifications during recording
- Improved touch sensitivity
- Native screen recording
- Scrolling screenshots
- Back gesture tweaking
- Improved support for curved displays
- AirPlane mode won’t turn off Bluetooth
- Share menu App pinning
- Improved notification shade conversations
- Chat bubbles
- Dark mode scheduling
- One time permissions
- Scoped storage
- Better handling of older notifications
- Project mainline enhancements
- Reverse charging
- Motion controls for certain phones
Mute notifications during recording:
It is pretty annoying when you are trying to make an awesome video of the scenery around you, or you want to capture a family moment and a notification pops up. Now with Android 11, you will have uninterrupted video recording with all notifications turned to mute during recording.
Improved touch sensitivity:
This is something that many of us will appreciate. No matter how much stronger the glass is on a phone, we always end up applying a tempered glass to make sure the real glass is never damaged. Sometimes with average quality tempered glasses we face issues of miss swipes and touches but not anymore. Google will incorporate better touch sensitivity on the software side, which will result in flawless touches all the time, even if one has a tempered glass installed on to the device.
Native screen recording:
Screen recording is something Android users have always wished for and here it is finally. We heard rumours about it making it to Android 10 but it failed to do so as it was not yet ready. But with Android 11 that’s a new feature we will have for sure. We will no longer need any additional apps to record our screens.
Scrolling screenshots:
We will finally see scrolling screenshot support in Android with the 11th version. This is easily one of the most anticipated features for Android users.
Back gesture tweaking:
With gestures controlling movements in Android 10, users faced the issue of listing out certain apps menu, when they tried to go back. But with Android, we will see sliders that will allow the user to control the sensitivity of the back gesture. There will be two sliders, one for the left-hand side of the screen and one for the right.
Improved support for curved displays:
Curved displays surely make the device appealing but with curved displays, one can face quite some issues with accidental touches. Now and then unintentional touches end up ruining the experience. But now in Android 11, Google has come up with a new API. This will allow developers to specify the screen area for interaction.
AirPlane mode won’t turn off Bluetooth:
In previous Android versions, we had Bluetooth killed off when Airplane mode was turned on. Then we had to turn Bluetooth on the back again. This is an issue especially considering how popular Bluetooth earphones have been in recent times. So now even when someone toggles on the Airplane mode, the Bluetooth won’t get turned off and keep functioning perfectly.
Share menu App pinning:
There was a feature in Android before, that let users pin their most frequently used apps in the share menu. It was removed but now we have it back on the Android 11.
Improved notification shade conversations:
When a new notification pops up, specifically speaking a text, you have the latest one on top and you can pull it down to tap in the reply. With Android 11 you will be able to do way more than just opening up the topmost latest text to reply. One will even be able to send picture messages right from the notification tab.
Chat bubbles:
Google had this feature for the Android 10 but not many developers or OEMs adopted it. They are not backing down though as this has been pushed out again as a stand out feature of Android 11 so that the OEMs can take a second look at it and implement it further in their Android skins.
Dark mode scheduling:
We will see a dynamic system-wide dark mode in Android 11. This will change the setting on the device between dark mode and normal mode depending upon the time of use, that is depending on the fact as to whether it is day or night or evening time. This came in from Google as a response after other OEMs already made this feature available in previous Android skinned versions.
One time permissions:
Previously on Android 10, we had the feature to allow permission to access location, camera or microphone data only while the app is open. But with Android 11 we will have a one-time permission setting that will enable usage permission only for a single time.
Scoped storage:
Apps will now have access to only certain parts of your filesystem, better protecting a user’s private data. This will basically “silo” apps for data protection. This has already caused a stir though in the development society, and Google has announced that they won’t release this feature in the stable if there are any issues regarding security and access.
Better handling of older notifications:
Presently stable android versions don’t make it easy to access older notifications once they have been swiped off, even sometimes by mistake. But with Android 11 we will have separate setting by the name “Notification history”, that will keep all the information about the older notifications and even new notifications.
Project mainline enhancements:
Android 10 meant users could download Android update parts directly from the play store. This will receive an improvement with even more android parts being pushed out through the play store. This will result in fewer OTA updates.
This might just be a tip of the iceberg though, and we will probably see more features making it to the stable version that will release in the Q3 of 2020.
Reverse charging:
In Android 11 we will see an option to share battery, which means that future Pixel devices will come with reverse wireless charging, and Pixel 5 will be the first one among them.
Motion controls for certain phones:
The Pixel 4 comes with sensors that track air movement. And now we will finally see updates from Android that will make the complete use of this future hardware. Pixel 4 users with Android 11 will be able to interact with apps without really touching the screen if the bugs don’t cause any major issues here.
List of phones eligible for Android 11 update
Brand | Eligible Phones |
---|---|
Google Pixel 4/ 4 XL Google Pixel 3/ 3 XL Google Pixel 3a/ 3a XL Google Pixel 2/2 XL |
|
Xiaomi | Xiaomi Mi Note 10/ 10 Pro Xiaomi Mi 10/ 10 Pro Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite/ Youth Edition Redmi K30 Redmi K30 Pro/ Zoom Redmi 10X 4G Redmi 10X 5G Redmi 10X Pro 5G Redmi K30i 5G Redmi K30 Racing Edition Redmi 9 Redmi Note 9 Redmi Note 9S Redmi Note 9 Pro Redmi Note 9 Pro Max Redmi K20 Redmi K20 Pro/ Premium Redmi Note 8 Pro Xiaomi Mi 9 SE Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer/ Transparent Edition Xiaomi Mi 9T Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite Xiaomi Mi 9 Xiaomi Mi A3 Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro Xiaomi Mi CC9 Xiaomi Mi CC9e Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro |
Huawei | Huawei Enjoy Z 5G Huawei Mate 30/ 30 Pro Huawei Mate 30 RS Porsche design Huawei Mate 20/ 20 Pro Huawei Mate 20 X (5G/ 4G) Huawei Mate 20 Porsche RS Huawei Mate X Huawei P40 Pro/ P40 Pro+ Huawei P40/ P40 Lite Huawei P30/ P30 Pro Huawei Nova 6/ 6 5G Huawei Nova 5T Huawei Nova 5/ 5 Pro Huawei Nova 5Z Huawei Nova 5i/ 5i Pro Huawei Nova 7/ 7 Pro/ 7 SE Huawei Enjoy 10/ 10S/ 10 Plus Huawei MatePad Huawei MediaPad M6 |
Honor | Honor 30 Honor 30 Pro Honor 30 Pro+ Honor 30s Honor X10 5G Honor 9A/ 9C/ 9S Honor V6 Honor V30 Pro/ View 30 Pro Honor V30/ View 30 Honor V20/ View 20 Honor 20 Honor 20 Pro Honor 20 Youth Edition Honor 20S Honor 9X Honor 9X Lite Honor 9X Pro |
OnePlus | OnePlus 8 OnePlus 8 Pro OnePlus 7 OnePlus 7 Pro OnePlus 7T OnePlus 7T Pro OnePlus 6 OnePlus 6T |
Realme | Realme X3 SuperZoom Realme 6S Realme X50 Pro Player Realme Narzo 10 Realme Narzo 10A Realme X50 Pro 5G Realme X50 5G Realme X50m 5G Realme 3 Pro Realme 5 Pro Realme 6 Pro Realme 6 Realme 6i Realme C3 Realme X2 |
Oppo | Oppo Ace2 OPPO Find X2/ Find X2 Pro Oppo Find X2 Lite/ Find X2 Neo Oppo F11/ F11 Pro Oppo F15 Oppo Reno3 Pro (5G) Oppo Reno3 (5G) Oppo Reno3 Youth Oppo Reno2/ Reno2 F/ Reno2 Z Oppo Reno Ace OPPO K3 OPPO K5 OPPO A11 Oppo A9 (2020/ 2019) Oppo A9x Oppo A92 Oppo A92s Oppo A52 Oppo A72 |
Vivo | Vivo S6 5G Vivo Z6 5G Vivo iQOO Z1 Vivo X50 Lite Vivo Y70s Vivo NEX 3S 5G Vivo NEX 3 5G Vivo NEX 3 Vivo V19 Vivo Y50 Vivo Y30 Vivo iQOO Vivo iQOO Neo Vivo iQOO Neo 855 Vivo iQOO Pro Vivo iQOO Pro 5G Vivo iQOO Neo3 5G Vivo iQOO 3 5G Vivo NEX Dual Display Vivo iQOO Neo 855 Racing iQOO Neo 855+ iQOO Neo 855 Plus iQOO Neo 855s |
Nokia | Nokia 1.3 Nokia 2.3 Nokia 2.2 Nokia 9 PureView Nokia 3.1 A (AT&T) Nokia 3.1 C (Cricket) Nokia 8.1 Nokia 7.2 Nokia 6.2 Nokia 4.2 Nokia 3.2 Nokia 8.3 5G Nokia 5.3 |
Asus | Asus 6z Asus Zenfone 6 Asus ROG Phone 2 |
Sony | Sony Xperia 1 Sony Xperia 5 Sony Xperia 1 II Sony Xperia 10 II |
Samsung | Samsung Galaxy S10/ S10e Galaxy S10 Plus Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Samsung Galaxy S20/ S20+ Galaxy S20 Ultra (5G) Galaxy Note 10/ Note 10+ Galaxy Note 10 5G Galaxy Note 10 Lite Galaxy Z Flip Galaxy Fold (5G) Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Samsung Galaxy A01 Samsung Galaxy A11 Samsung Galaxy A20s Samsung Galaxy A21 Samsung Galaxy A21s Samsung Galaxy A30 Samsung Galaxy A30s Samsung Galaxy A31 Samsung Galaxy A40 Samsung Galaxy A41 Samsung Galaxy A50 Samsung Galaxy A50s Galaxy A51/ A51 5G Samsung Galaxy A70 Galaxy A71/ A71 5G Samsung Galaxy A80 Samsung Galaxy A8s Samsung Galaxy A90 5G Samsung Galaxy M30s Samsung Galaxy M31 Samsung Galaxy M21 Samsung Galaxy M11 Samsung Galaxy M40 Galaxy Xcover 4s Galaxy Xcover Field Pro Galaxy Xcover Pro Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019) Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) Galaxy Tab A 8.0 S Pen (2019) Galaxy Tab Active Pro (2019) Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Galaxy Tab S6 (5G) |
Motorola | Moto G Pro Moto Edge Moto Edge+ Motorola Moto G Stylus Motorola Moto G Power Motorola Moto Razr 2019 Motorola One Hyper Motorola One Action Motorola One Vision Motorola Moto Z4 Motorola Moto G8 Motorola Moto G8 Plus Motorola Moto G8 Power |
Essential | Essential Phone (PH-1) |
LG | LG V50 ThinQ LG V50S ThinQ LG V60 ThinQ LG G8S ThinQ LG G8 ThinQ LG G8X Thinq LG Velvet LG V60 ThinQ 5G LG V60 ThinQ 5G UW |
Poco | Poco X2 Poco F2 Pro |
Note: The above list is not official. The list is prepared based on the company’s software update policy and previous track records. We will keep an eye on the official announcement and update the list. However, you can rest assured that the devices included in the Eligible column have a high chance of tasting the Android 11 update. Additionally, we have compiled an unofficial list(below) of devices that may not be eligible for the next OS upgrade.
These devices may not receive Android 11
Brand | Not Eligible |
---|---|
Google Pixel XL Google Pixel C |
|
Xiaomi | Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Xiaomi Mi 8 Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Xiaomi Mi A2 Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite Redmi 8/ Redmi 8A/ 8A Dual Redmi Note 7 Redmi Note 7 Pro Xiaomi Redmi Note 7S Redmi Note 8 Redmi Note 8T Xiaomi Mi Play Xiaomi Black Shark Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Redmi Y3/ Y2/ Y1/ Y1 Lite Redmi 7/ 7A Redmi 6/ 6 Pro/ 6A Redmi Note 6 Pro Redmi Note 5/ 5 Pro Redmi 5/ 5A Redmi 4/ Note 4 Mi 6 Mi 6X |
Huawei | Huawei Mate 10/ Mate 10 Pro Huawei Mate 10 Lite Huawei Mate 10 RS Porsche Design Huawei P20/ P20 Pro Huawei P Smart 2019 Huawei P smart 2020 Huawei P Smart Z Huawei Nova 4/ 4e Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 Huawei Y9 2019 Huawei Y7 Pro 2019 Huawei Y7 2019 Huawei Y7 Prime (2019) Huawei Y6 2019 Huawei Enjoy 9/ 9S/ 9e Huawei Maimang 8 |
Honor | HONOR View 10 HONOR 10/ 10 GT HONOR 10 Lite HONOR 10 Youth Edition HONOR Play HONOR Note 10 HONOR 8X/ 8X Max Honor 7X HONOR 8C HONOR Magic 2 HONOR 8A Honor 9N (9i) |
OnePlus | OnePlus 5 OnePlus 5T OnePlus 3 OnePlus 3T |
Realme | Realme 1 Realme 2 Realme 3 Realme 5 Realme 5i Realme 5s Realme C1 Realme C1(2019) Realme C2 Realme U1 |
Oppo | Oppo Find X Series Oppo Reno Oppo Reno 5G Oppo Reno 10x zoom Oppo Reno Z Oppo Reno A Oppo A91 Oppo A5 (2020) Oppo R17 Oppo RX17 Neo Oppo RX17 Pro Oppo R15 Oppo R15 Pro |
Vivo | Vivo S1/ S1 Pro Vivo Z5/ Z5i/ Z5x Vivo X30/ X30 Pro Vivo X27/ X27 Pro Vivo U3 Vivo Y9s Vivo V17/ V17 Pro Vivo V15/ V15 Pro Vivo V11/ V11 Pro Vivo X23 Vivo X21s Vivo U20 Vivo U10 Vivo Z3/ Z3i |
Nokia | Nokia 7.1 Nokia 7 Plus Nokia 6.1 Nokia 6.1 Plus Nokia 1 Plus Nokia 3.1 Nokia 3.1 Plus Nokia 5.1 Nokia 1 Nokia 5.1 Nokia 2.1 |
Asus | Aus ZenFone Max Pro M1 Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 Asus ZenFone Live L2 Asus ZenFone Live L1 Asus Zenfone Max Plus M2 Aus Zenfone Max Shot Asus ZenFone 5Z Asus ZenFone 5 |
Sony | Xperia 10 Xperia 10 Plus Xperia 10 Xperia 10 Plus Xperia XZ2 Xperia XZ2 Compact Xperia XZ2 Premium Xperia XZ3 Xperia XZ2 Xperia XZ2 Compact Xperia XZ2 Premium |
Samsung | Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Samsung Galaxy S9/ S9+ Samsung Galaxy A10 Samsung Galaxy A10e Samsung Galaxy A10s Samsung Galaxy A20 Galaxy A20e Samsung Galaxy A6/ A6+ Samsung Galaxy A60 Samsung Galaxy A6s Samsung Galaxy A7 Samsung Galaxy A8 Star Samsung Galaxy A8, A8+ Samsung Galaxy M10 Samsung Galaxy M10s Samsung Galaxy M20 Samsung Galaxy M30 Samsung Galaxy A9 Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018) Galaxy J7 Duo (2018) Galaxy J7 Prime 2 (2018) Samsung Galaxy J8 (2018) Galaxy Tab Advanced 2 (2018) Galaxy Tab S4 10.5 (2018) Samsung Galaxy J2 Core Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro Samsung Galaxy J3 Samsung Galaxy J4 Core Samsung Galaxy J4/ J4+ Samsung Galaxy J6/ J6+ Galaxy Tab A 10.5 (2018) Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2018) |
Motorola | Motorola P30 Motorola One Power (P30 Note) Motorola One (P30 Play) Moto E5 Cruise Moto E5 Plus Moto X4 Moto G8 Play Moto G7 Moto G7 Play Moto G7 Plus Moto G6 Play Moto G7 Power Moto G6 Moto G6 Plus Moto E6 Moto E6 Play Moto E6 Plus Moto E5 Moto E5 Play Moto E5 Play Go Moto Z3 Moto Z3 Play |
HTC | HTC U12+ HTC U19e HTC Desire 19s HTC Desire 19+ HTC Wildfire X HTC Wildfire R70 HTC U11 Life HTC U11 HTC U11+ |
LG | LG K20 LG K30 LG K50 LG K50S LG K51S LG K61 LG Q60 LG Q51 LG Q70 LG Q9 LG Stylo 6 LG Q61 |
Poco | Poco F1 Pocophone F1 |
This article originally appeared on https://www.dealntech.com/android-11/