Android 11 consists of lengthy overdue options in addition to enhancements. Here’s what builders, companies, and customers have to find out about Google’s newest cellular OS.
Image: Jack Wallen/TechRepublic
Android 11 is right here, and it may turn into one of the polished releases the Android platform has ever seen. Why? Because Android 11 does not do a lot to transform the working system; as a substitute, this iteration of Google’s cellular platform places quantity of polish on lots of the dramatic options first launched in Android 10. Of course, that does not imply there are not any new options in Android 11; actually, there are lengthy overdue options within the newest launch. With 85.4% of the worldwide smartphone market share, Android nonetheless reigns supreme, in keeping with IDC. Because Android 11 rolled out quicker than earlier incarnations, this tackle the working system may wind up on extra units, quicker than earlier iterations. Read this Android 11 cheat sheet to stand up to hurry on Google’s newest OS. We’ll replace this useful resource periodically when there may be new details about Android 11. What is Android 11? Android 11 is the official title of the newest model of the Android OS. This cellular working system is seamlessly tied to the Google ecosystem, so out of the field it integrates with Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and extra. Android additionally consists of the Google Play Store, which permits customers to simply set up a variety of purposes, akin to community, productiveness, leisure, communication instruments, in addition to video games. Android is completely at house serving as your each day driver for each enterprise and private use instances.
SEE: Top Android safety suggestions (free PDF) (TechRepublic) What new options include Android 11?Although Android 11 is not an replace that ships with a ton of ground-breaking options, it does embody a number of that many customers shall be glad to see. Let’s have a look at a number of the extra essential options in Android 11. Also, try my listing of the Android 11’s greatest options and TechRepublic’s Owen Hughes article in regards to the prime Android 11 options for enterprise customers.SEE: All of TechRepublic’s cheat sheets and sensible individual’s guides (TechRepublic)Scheduled darkish themeThe darkish theme has turn into fairly essential for a lot of consumer sorts for 2 causes: It makes the show simpler to view in darkish environments.It may help save valuable battery life. With Android 11 comes a characteristic that darkish theme customers will actually appreciate–the means to schedule when your system shifts to darkish mode. This will be essential for many who sleep with their units on their nightstands and verify their telephones at night time, or for whenever you need your system to mechanically shift to darkish mode in a while within the day to protect battery life. Scheduling the darkish mode is finished in Settings | Display | Dark Theme | Schedule. Schedule your Start Time and End Time and also you’re good to go (Figure A). Figure A Scheduling the darkish theme on Android 11. Chat Head bubbles If you have ever used Facebook Messenger, you are conversant in the Chat Heads interface. This characteristic has been attempting to creep into Android for a while. Each growth cycle it finds its approach right into a beta launch, solely to be eliminated when the official launch is made accessible. That out and in cycle ends with Android 11, which now consists of the Chat Heads interface for the likes of Messages and ongoing telephone conversations. Called Bubbles, this new approach of coping with ongoing discussions and calls makes it simpler for customers to name up these messages, straight from the display (with out having to entry the Notification Shade or the app itself). The one caveat is that you need to allow the Bubble characteristic on an app-by-app foundation (Figure B). Figure B Enabling Bubbles for the Android Messages app. Priority Conversations Along with Chat Head Bubbles, now you can prioritize conversations. If there’s one specific contact you chat with usually, you’ll be able to lengthy press a notification from that chat and mark the dialog as a precedence. When you do that, you may obtain notifications for that chat, even when your telephone is in Do Not Disturb mode. SEE: Power guidelines: Managing and troubleshooting Android units (TechRepublic Premium) Screen Recording This is a type of options that ought to have been included a very long time in the past. There are numerous explanation why you’d wish to document your Android display: You may need an issue and have to share that situation with assist. One straightforward approach to try this is by way of a display recording. You may also wish to present somebody learn how to do one thing on their telephone (perhaps they work remotely). Why not share with them a video of the way it’s carried out? Finally, you may merely wish to share one thing cool in your show. With the Android 11 Screen Recorder device, not solely are you able to document video, you too can document audio out of your mic (so you’ll be able to narrate what is going on on), and even have the video spotlight touches to the display so the viewer is aware of the place you are tapping in your show. Having this built-in characteristic will negate the necessity for third-party tools–unless the app you usually use consists of options the Android device does not have. Motion Sense gesture Although this characteristic may not be a deal maker or breaker for enterprise customers, it’s fairly cool to make use of. The Motion Sense gesture is just accessible to Pixel units working Android 11. By utilizing hand gestures over the show, you’ll be able to pause music and skip to the following observe. This characteristic works with most music gamers (together with Spotify) and is sort of spectacular to make use of. If you are a type of who works with music enjoying out of your Android system, you may actually respect the power to pause and skip tunes with nothing greater than a gesture. Nearby Share iOS has loved the power to simply share recordsdata between units for some time. That iOS characteristic known as Airdrop. As of model 11, Android now has that very same means. Nearby Share makes use of Bluetooth to simply share recordsdata to different units who’ve the Nearby Share characteristic enabled. Nearby Share is an entry within the Android Share menu. When you go to share a file with somebody by this methodology, it can listing out any and all units which have Nearby Share enabled, so you’ll be able to in a short time share between mentioned units (Figure C). Figure C Sharing a hyperlink between two Android 11 units. Resume On Boot Although not a characteristic that you will use each day, you may be glad it is there when an in a single day OTA replace happens. What Resume On Boot does is permits the OS (after an replace) to right away entry Credential Encrypted Storage so it may possibly instantly begin receiving messages with out the telephone having to be unlocked first. So when that in a single day replace happens, you will not have to attend for that deluge of messages to return in as soon as you have unlocked the system. What enhancements are in Android 11? Along with the brand new options, some options have been refined. Let’s have a look. Better organized Notification Shade At the highest of this listing is the replace to the Notification Shade. Notifications at the moment are categorized such that customers can swipe away particular person notifications or classes of notifications. This not solely makes notifications simpler to learn, it additionally makes them extra environment friendly to cope with. Share menu pinning Another characteristic that has been a very long time coming is the power to pin entries to the Share menu. If you are likely to share objects to particular providers or folks greater than anything, now you can pin these to the highest of the Android Share menu. That means you may spend much less time trying to find the merchandise you wish to share that textual content, hyperlink, or file with. This will make your on the go life with Android considerably extra environment friendly. To pin an app or contact to the Share menu, merely open the Share menu from an app, lengthy press the app you wish to pin, and choose Pin X (the place X is the contact or app) (Figure D). Figure D Pinning Save To Drive to the Share menu. New energy menu The Android energy menu (the menu that seems whenever you press and maintain the ability button) has undergone some adjustments. The new menu not solely shows the Power/Restart/Emergency choices, but additionally lets you entry Google Pay and sensible house choices (Figure E). Figure E The refined Android energy menu.One factor you may discover lacking from this menu (that was accessible in Android 10) is the screenshot button. Screenshots at the moment are taken from the app itemizing overlay. What security measures are in Android 11? Security options have been added or improved upon with Android 11. These options are all about permissions. One-time permissions Over the years, Android has been affected by permissions points. With every launch, Google has tried to resolve these issues, however has come up brief on many events. With Android 11, they’ve lastly hit on one thing that ought to assist alleviate this downside: One-time permissions. With Android 11, you’ve a brand new permission choice to grant an app. In addition to the 2 choices launched in Android 10 (While Using The App or Deny), customers can now go for Only This Time. This new permission choice will grant the app in query a one-time permission to make use of a service. After that, the following time you open the app you may need to grant it permission once more. This ought to go a good distance to enhance the safety on Android. Blocked permissions Along with one-time permissions, comes blocked permissions. This characteristic will block an app from requisition permissions after a consumer has denied these permissions twice. Once this occurs, customers should manually give the app permissions–to make sure the app features correctly. Overlay permissions You might not have recognized this, however over time, there’s been one very critical concern with the Android platform–overlay assaults. These forms of assaults have one purpose: Intercept credentials for a goal utility. An overlay fakes many fashionable on-line providers to trick customers into typing their login credentials. Until Android 11, this has been a widespread downside. The newest launch offers with this by making it in order that apps can’t straight take customers to an authentication display. Now, apps are solely in a position to ship customers to the extent earlier than granting entry to the overlay. With this in place, customers should allow the choice, which is one additional step that may stop malware from stealing consumer knowledge. Revoking unused permissions If you’ve an app that was granted permissions, however you have not utilized in a number of months, that app’s permissions will mechanically be revoked. When this occurs, you may then have to manually grant permissions for the app to ensure that it to operate correctly. Background data collect is not any extra With Android 11, apps are now not allowed to assemble data within the background. The solely time an utility shall be allowed to gather data is when mentioned app is working. This ought to go a protracted technique to tighten privateness points by putting customers in command of when an app can gather knowledge and data. How can builders begin utilizing Android 11? Since the beta program has already concluded and Android 11 has been launched, builders can begin utilizing Android 11. Any developer needing emigrate their apps to the brand new Android 11 platform can begin with the official migration documentation from Google. SEE: Hiring equipment: Android Developer (TechRepublic Premium) When was Android 11 launched? Android 11 was formally launched September 8, 2020 and was made instantly accessible to Google Pixel (Pixel 2 and newer) devices–that is the conventional route for brand spanking new Android updates. However, in a shock transfer, Google additionally made the most recent iteration instantly accessible (by way of an open beta) to the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro (in North America, Europe, and India), in addition to the Oppo Find X2, Find X2 Pro, the Reno 3 and Reno 3 Pro. Xiaomi can be rolling out Android 11 for the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro. As for different units, Google has already promised that extra companions shall be launching and upgrading units over the approaching months so count on many Samsung, Redmi, and different fashionable units to obtain the Android 11 replace by the top of 2020.
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