Google Launches Android 11 For Pixel Phones And Others
After months of beta testing, Google has finally released the Android 11 public version. As expected, the latest Android update is available on all Pixel devices except the original Pixel.
Interestingly, several Chinese OEM’s such as Xiaomi, Huawei, and Oppo have already announced their Android 11 beta program. Xiaomi has said in a tweet that Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro users are first in line to receive the MIUI 12 update based on Android 11.
Android 11 features
Android 11 comes with several exciting features that Google likes to put into three different categories — People, Controls, and Privacy.
People
To make Android more “people-centric,” Google has added a new Conversations section to the notification shade. The idea is to get messages and chats in one section, making it easy to respond. This will separate all kinds of text messages from other obtrusive notifications.
Here, users can prioritize conversations and keep messages from some individuals always at the top.
Adding to that is pinning conversations as Bubbles near the edge. It’s exactly like Facebook Messenger Chat Heads but now extends to all messaging apps.
The accessibility section is getting a new feature called Voice access. It adds “intuitive labels on apps” that will enable you to control and navigate the phone with voice commands.
Controls
With Android 11, Google wants users to take quick control of all smart devices in their environment. To that extent, Android developers have revamped the Power button menu and added Device Controls. Users can control smart devices and do things such as change the temperature, dim the lights, etc.
Apart from that, Google has redesigned Media Controls. The music notification in the Quick Settings menu has an option where users can now quickly switch media playback from one device to another. Also, Android Auto now works wirelessly in the latest Android version.
Privacy
Android 11 users can grant one-time permissions to apps. In other words, the app will require permission access next time the user opens the app. As of now, the Android permissions which can avail the feature are the microphone, camera, and location.
Under the new update, unused apps will be stripped off all their permissions, aka Permissions auto-reset.
Other changes include the addition of 62 new emojis, a built-in screen recorder, a resizable picture-in-picture mode, and more. Check out our best Android 11 features article to find out more.
While Android 11 has arrived for Pixel devices and select devices from OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme, Google says that more partners will be “launching and upgrading devices over the coming months.” Here is the full list of devices that have received or are about to receive the Android 11 update.
