Android 11: Everything We Know So Far

After the Android 9 Pie launch, Google announced they would follow a numerical order for their future OS versions. So, after 2019’s Android 10, we are here to give you an insight into the Android 11. Recently, Google has launched its Android 11 operating system. As per Google’s yearly routine, we got a developer version and a beta version of the OS in February and June, respectively. Although Google delayed its beta release, we have got Android 11 with stable builds as per their timeline. Now, let’s discuss how many new changes Android 11 brings. Also, find out when OEMs will release Android 11 to their device.

Android 11 Update Tracker

Asus

• Asus Zenfone 7 Pro select users are getting Android 11 beta updates with version 30.04.31.30.
• [Recruitment Begins] Asus Zenfone 7 (ZS670KS) and Zenfone 7 Pro (ZS671KS) users can now participate in the Android 11 beta program from September 23 to October 5 (CST time).
• [Closed Beta] Asus has released the beta version of Android 11 with ZenUI for Zenfone 6 users.

Samsung

• Samsung has announced its Android 11-based One UI 3.0 developer beta program for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra users in South Korea and the US.
• Samsung Galaxy S20/ S20 Plus/ S20 Ultra stable Android 11 is now available in Europe, the UK, the U.S., Korea, India, and UAE.
• Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite (Global & US) has started getting stable Android 11.
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G Android 11 released in Switzerland.
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra users of AT&T, Verizon, and Xfinity are getting the latest stable update.
• Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Android 11 released in Russia.

Xiaomi

• Xiaomi has released Android 11 to the Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and Poco F2 Pro in several regions, including Europe.
• Redmi K30 Pro and K30 Pro Zoom users are also getting the Android 11 update in China.
• Redmi Note 9S/Note 9 Pro (India) and Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite (Global) users have received the Android 11 stable update.

Oppo

• Oppo Find X2, Find X2 Pro, Ace2, Reno3, Reno3 Pro, Ace2 EVA Limited Edition, F17 Pro, and Reno4 5G users in the select region have got the latest ColorOS 11 update.
• Oppo Find X2, Find X2 Pro, and Find X2 Pro Automobili Lamborghini Edition users receive the Android 11 update based on ColorOS 11 beta under the Closed Beta program.
• Oppo Reno 3 4G, Reno 3 Pro 4G, and F17 Pro users will get the same update from September 30, 2020.

OnePlus

• Stable OxygenOS 11 (Android 11) update for OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro is now live.

Realme

• Android 11 based on Realme UI 2.0 for Realme X50 Pro users is now available. The Open Beta was released in October 2020.

Vivo

• Vivo Nex 3S 5G and iQOO 3 4G/5G users are now reportedly getting Funtouch OS 11 beta based on Android 11.

Google

• Android 11 stable is now pushing out to Pixel 2/2 XL, Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL and Pixel 4a.

When will Android 11 be released?

The stable Android 11 was announced officially on September 8, 2020. Currently, Android 11 is rolling out to all eligible Pixel phones along with select Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, and Realme phones.

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	September 8, 2020

The “Beta Launch Show” event, which was set to take place on June 3, has been canceled due to protests in the US over the killing of George Floyd. Google confirmed that they will unveil the Android 11 beta at that event. But, Google had postponed the June 3rd event. On June 10, Google launched Android 11 beta through short-form videos and web pages. Finally, after a few months of beta testing, Android 11 stable arrived on September 8.

Beta Builds

The first Android 11 beta was rolled out in June 2020, followed by the second beta in July 2020. The third beta update was released in August 2020.

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. Initially, it was available for Google’s Pixel 2, 2 XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, and 4 XL devices. Now, other OEMs such as OnePlus, iQOO, Realme, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and Sharp have also released beta builds on their flagship devices.

Gradually, it will be distributed for any manufacturer to use and provide software updates to all the other latest smartphones.

Developer Preview

Google released the first developer preview on February 19, 2020, the second developer preview on March 18, 2020, and the third developer preview on April 23, 2020. The company started rolling out the fourth Developer Preview for Android 11 in May 2020. If you were already running Developer Preview on your device, then you got the OTA update easily.

The second Preview update brought 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 arrived with a build number of RPP3.200230.017, an April 2020 security patch, and Google Play Services 20.12.14. It also included several new features, productivity improvements, and bug fixes. In Preview 4, we saw an incremental update for stability and performance.

The OS Preview was available on Google Pixel 4 / 4XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 3 / 3 XL, and Pixel 2 / 2 XL. If you had a Pixel device, then you were able to download the Developer Preview system image and flash it to your device.

It was easy to install this developer version of Android, but it was extremely buggy for normal use. This build was intended specifically for developers.

Here is a list of all Android 11 features

• Mute notifications during the 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 the phone, we always end up applying tempered glass to make sure the real glass is never damaged. Sometimes, with average-quality tempered glasses, we face issues of missed 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 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 rumors 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 definitely have. 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 app menus 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 developed 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 lets users pin their most frequently used apps in the share menu. It was removed, but now we have it back on 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, youcano 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, night, or evening time. This came in from Google as a response after other OEMs had 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 was 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 access 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 in the development society. 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 a separate setting with 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 the tip of the iceberg though, and we will probably see more features making it to the stable version.

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 likely 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 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.

Note: These features are collected from the developer build and might change in the stable version. Also, many other new features will likely make their way into stable Android 11 too. So, we recommend you read the official Android blog for the final Android 11 features.