Android 11 developer preview first look

- Android 11 is here. It is the next version of Android. and Google will release a very early

preview

for

developer

s this year. Now the changes here are really aimed at

developer

s, there isn't much you'll see if you're a user. But Google is making big promises. We have support for 5G, better support for foldable phones, new improved privacy and storage features. One thing to note is that this is actually a developer-only

preview

. And I mean, really, even more than other years, you can only install it on a pixel 2,3,3A or 4, or the XL versions. And to install it, you will need a completely new gear device.

Just don't do it guys, just don't trust me on this. But if you're a developer, or like us, and have an extra pixel lying around, you can install the Android 11 Developer Preview today. And there are still not many things. Again, all the big interesting and exciting changes will probably come to Google IO later this year. There are a couple of interesting things. So let's delve into them. (soft music)

first

are the bubbles. Now, it's a pretty similar feature to Facebook Messenger's chat heads feature where, you know, you put the person's head and it floats over the screen.

This is a system-level thing that, in theory, any messaging app can use; Right now, the only app that actually uses it is Google's own messaging app. But in theory, all your favorite messaging apps should be able to work together in this single floating, bubbling popup. And then you can access those messages from anywhere. Using the functions is actually very simple. Simply tap and hold a messaging notification. And there is a central bubble that sends it into a bubble. And if you're using the beta versions of Android 10, this should probably sound pretty familiar to you, because it debuted there and then didn't make the final cut.

Anyway, it is now pure on Android 11. Hopefully this time it will ship along with the bubbles. There's the new conversation area, notification shade, which separates your messages from all your other notifications, like Instagram Likes and emails, and places them at the top of the notification area. The idea here is that it's easier to find it than to continue the conversations you have with people because it's a phone. And that's what phones are for. Next, better app permissions. Now, this sounds boring, I know. But it's actually taking a page from iOS, book. And it's actually very important.

Well, what Google allows you to do now is when an app asks you if it can use your microphone, your camera, or your location data. Instead of having two options, knowing it or always having it, there is now a third option. Where you can give permission only once. So if you know, you want to send a photo using an app, but you don't want that app to have access to your camera until the end of time. That's what this is for. (soft music) screen recording. Well, if you've been using Android, especially the beta versions that we've been burned on before, but it's here and Android 11 beta, there is a screen recording UI that allows you to record your screen natively on Android. best user interface.

This time it

look

s much better. And hopefully, Google will actually ship it this time. But again, we'll have to wait and see fingers crossed. There are a couple of smaller features as well. Dark mode now has automatic settings, you can set it to turn on and off at certain times instead of having it, you know, through a manual process, the soli gestures on pixel four have a new one where you can move your hand over your telephone. to start and stop your music. There's a new touchscreen sensitivity option - again, only on the Pixel Four so far - that claims it will make your touchscreen more sensitive and work better when you have a screen protector on when you return.

I have to say it's the ability to pin apps, the top. from the share sheet, which is something people have been asking me for a long time. Now, when you share something, instead of just showing you all the apps you have installed on your phone that you can send it to, you can pin the ones you really want, like you know, messages and emails, right at the top. . Now, this being a developer beta, there are a lot of things we can't show you yet because they're too abstract to show on the phone. Or because it's not finished yet, Google's promising 5G improvements, like the ability for apps to determine if your phone really has an unlimited data connection before loading up your entire data plan with, you know, giant data usage 5G.

There's also better support for scoped storage, where Android puts apps in their own containers where they can't interact as much. It's actually quite similar to iOS. Now, Google introduced this last year with Android 10. But this year it is giving a much bigger push to this. And it's the kind of thing that will improve security. Google will also be adding a feature that if you want to disable it, you will be able to do so in some cases. Again, this is more of a developer thing, but your apps will be safer in things you might actually notice. .

There will also be better support for new types of displays, such as foldable displays, pinhole displays, waterfall displays, and odd borders. Look, Android phones are getting really interesting and new, really wacky and cool designs, and Google is going to make sure Android works with all of them, which is great. Google also promises OS-level support for removing blocked authentication, which should make it easier to prevent unwanted calls. It is working to improve low-latency video streaming for game streaming services like Google's Stadia project. Also promising is things like the project's mainline, which allows Google to update parts of the Android operating system through the Play Store without having to roll out giant software updates like Android 11.

Now, again, this is all very, very early, obviously there are going to be much more important features that Google will have for us later. And some of these features are even available right now, if you have Samsung or Motorola phones. But the important thing here is that Google is laying the groundwork for the future of Android, when it integrates these features into the operating system at a level like this. It's setting the standard for developers, both software and hardware, to create better and better phones for you in the future. And that's really exciting. Obviously, again, this is very early and we'll have a lot more on Android 11 in the coming days, weeks and months as Google continues to release betas and make more announcements, but until then, stay tuned.

Thanks for watching. This is the Android 11 logo. They are turning it up to 11, it's very cute. You understood it. I have it. They understood it. I missed the names of the desserts. Where are the Google dessert names? Please like and subscribe to the edge for them too.