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 OEMs 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 the first to receive the MIUI 12 update based on Android 11.
Android 11 features
Android 11 comes with several cool 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 put the messages and chats together in one section, which makes it easier to reply. This will separate all types of text messages from other annoying notifications.
Here, users can prioritize conversations and keep some people's posts always on top.
Adding to that is pinning conversations like Bubbles near the edge. It's exactly like Facebook Messenger chat heads, but now extends to all messaging apps.
The accessibility section gets a new feature called Voice access. It adds "intuitive labels on apps" which will let you control and navigate the phone with voice commands.
Controls
With Android 11, Google wants users to quickly take control of all the smart devices in their environment. To this extent, Android developers have revamped the power button menu and added Device controls. Users can control smart devices and do things like change temperature, dim lights, etc.
Apart from that, Google has redesigned Multimedia controls. Music notification in the Quick settings menu has an option for users to quickly switch media playback from one device to another. Additionally, Android Auto now works wirelessly in the latest version of Android.
Privacy
Android 11 users can grant unique permissions to applications. In other words, the app will require authorized access the next time the user opens the app. As of now, the Android permissions that can benefit from the feature are microphone, camera, and location.
As part of the new update, unused apps will be removed from all their permissions, aka Automatic authorization 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 article on the best features of Android 11 to learn more.
While Android 11 has arrived for Pixel devices and some devices from OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO and Realme, Google said that more partners will be "launching and upgrading devices over the next few months." Here is the full list of devices that have received or are about to receive the Android 11 update.
