latest
Every new Android 11 feature: The in-depth changelog for Google's latest OS
Everything from Google's massive notification overhaul to subtle transparency tweaks
Read update
Android 11 has been out for a while now, and though things might look pretty similar coming from Android 10, there are plenty of changes inside, from revamped privacy and security to partitioning "conversations" into their own new notification category. Now that you've had some time to play with this latest version and you've read our review, here's the Android Police changelog for Android 11.
Here's what Android 11's automatically revoked permissions look like once they're triggered
It takes a few months to happen, though
Read update
Android 11 Developer Preview 3 has a new setting for app permissions, allowing them to be automatically revoked if you don't use the app for long enough. Disabled by default, the descriptively-named "Auto revoke permissions" setting will revoke permissions for a given app if it isn't used "for a few months."
Android 11 got rid of the 4GB limit on videos, but the Google Camera app is still capped
Videos will now split at 10GB
Android 11 may not have had a lot of flashy new features, but at least we should credit it for fixing or improving some of the outstanding issues. Back in June, we examined a fix that had just rolled out in the first Android 11 beta that would lift the 4GB cap on videos captured by the camera. While the API that had previously been responsible for setting the 4GB limit was no longer a constraint, it didn't actually make a difference with the Google Camera app or most of the other popular video recorders tested. Now that Android 11 has rolled out and many of us with Pixel phones are running it, here's what has changed and how it works today.
The final release of Android 11 earlier this month brought a ton of new features and improvements, but there was bound to be a bug or two with so many changes. The new media controls make the audio-listening experience a lot nicer, but they're still in need of some polish: some apps with currently playing audio can't be controlled unless you expand the quick settings panel.
Read update
Android 11 has been stable for a bit, and while it brought many improvements to the table, there are also a few regressions. One of these is a small but significant change to the quick settings tiles. Compared to earlier versions of the OS, Android 11 only displays two rows instead of three, even when the new media player isn't in use.
Android 11's sound picker will work with cast devices, but apps will need to be updated to support it
A useful tweak
Android 11 introduced a nifty new interface for controlling media playback that lives among the quick settings tiles rather than the notifications. In it, there's also a button that allows you to choose the sound output (which has actually been around since Android 10). At the moment, it's only populated by your phone's speakers and bluetooth sources, even though it seems like adding Chromecast-enabled devices would be a no-brainer. It looks like Google thought the same, but it will have to be implemented by every single media app out there.
Android 11 fixes the convoluted Android 10 workflow for opening links in default apps
Reverting back to Android 9 behavior
Android 10 introduced a serious regression when it comes to setting up link handling defaults. Instead of just leaving it be with the familiar "always open in this app" prompt after tapping a link that's supported by multiple apps, Android 10 would instead throw you into settings, where you'd have to confirm that you really want links to open in that application all the time in a drop-down menu. Thankfully, this behavior is a thing of the past in Android 11, which reintroduces the familiar two-tap solution.
Here are the 117 new emoji you've got to learn for Android 11
And re-learn what a bunch more look like
As the Android 11 team worked on new features and system-level changes over these past few months of the beta process, the Google emoji team was doing the same, adding 117 new entries approved by the Unicode Commission. We got an early look at the updated emoji library last month, and now these emoji are saying hello to everyone as Android 11 begins rolling out to the general public.
Android 11 lets firm presses expand bundled notifications
It would be nice if it expanded all notifications, but it doesn't
Now that Android 11's codebase has been released, folks have started digging through looking for smaller changes that may have gone unnoticed — or which hide future as-yet-unimplemented features. One small but potentially useful tweak has been spotted: Android 11 expands the utility of the new "firm" or "deep" press feature on the Pixel 4 and later to let you expand bundled notifications.
Android gives you separate volume control for media, notifications, and alarms, but Google appears to be working on adding a fourth slider to the mix. The AOSP Android 11 code suggests that the company is at least considering to add dedicated volume control for voice assistants, including but not limited to Google Assistant.
While most companies try to hide display cutouts with wallpapers, seemingly as as something to be ashamed of, Google took the route of highlighting the Pixel 4a's pinhole cutout as a feature in its series of fun new wallpapers for the phone. Unfortunately, the latest Android 11 Beta (which the Pixel 4a just got) applies a crop to wallpapers for a new zoomed-in animation it does when entering the multitasking menu or app drawer, and that breaks all the cleverly designed wallpapers. However, Google tells us a fix is planned.
Android 11 requires apps to restart upon getting permission to install APKs, but you likely won't notice
Apps that want to install APKs will be force-quit upon receiving the permission
Read update
New Android releases always bring exciting new features to the table, but every once in a while, a beloved feature gets reworked or removed altogether. That's no different for Android 11, which made it more cumbersome to grant apps the permission to install APKs, requiring a restart of the application in question up until at least Developer Preview 4. While that requirement is still present on more recent builds, the situation is now slightly improved: when apps are programmed correctly, they'll restart the latest activity, making the experience as smooth as possible.
Android 11 is taking away the camera picker to limit potential geotag hijacking
G Cam won't be a 100% stock replacement anymore
Android may have started with the mantra that developers are allowed to do anything as long as they can code it, but things have changed over the years as security and privacy became higher priorities. Every major update over the last decade has shuttered features or added restrictions in the name of protecting users, but some sacrifices may not have been entirely necessary. Another Android 11 trade-off has emerged, this time taking away the ability for users to select third-party camera apps to take pictures or videos on behalf of other apps, forcing users to rely only on the built-in camera app.
Wireless Android Auto will work on every phone with Android 11 and 5GHz Wi-Fi
Devices in the EU will have to get approval for 5GHz
Android Auto has traditionally required connecting your phone to a car with a USB cable, but a wireless mode was introduced in 2018 for some Pixel phones. Samsung devices were later added to the compatibility list, and starting with Android 11, every Android phone that supports 5GHz Wi-Fi should be capable of running wireless Android Auto.
Android 11 will make password autofill much better thanks to keyboard integration
No more wonky, disappearing drop-down menus
Read update
Android has offered native autofill since Android 9 Pie, but despite that being an official method, actually filling out passwords and addresses is sometimes wonky, and phones often need a few seconds to recognize password entry fields. Google wants to improve that experience with Android 11 and has introduced a new autofill method that integrates with your keyboard, be it Gboard or a third-party app.
Android 11's new media player controls can be swiped away in Beta 3
But swiping them away doesn't stop media playback
The first Android 11 Beta release introduced a redesign for media controls that moved them into the quick settings panel. In Beta 2, that feature became enabled by default. Today's release of Beta 3 tweaks the new UI to allow the controls to be swiped away — even if the media is still playing.
Google's updated emoji designs finally arrive in Android 11 Beta 3
Just when we had made peace with the blob's successors 😤
Android's emoji set has never been the consistent, culturally accepted staple that Apple's is. For a long time, users of stock Android enjoyed a fun, expressive collection of blobs. Google refined them to be more visually consistent in 2016's release of Android Nougat, only to completely get rid of the blobs the next year. Now, Google is giving its Noto Emoji their biggest visual change since the blobs melted.
The setting to forcibly enable the Pixel 4 to a 90Hz-always mode has been brought back as of Android 11 Beta 3. So far as we can tell, the setting was removed in Beta 2. However, it has been brought back — seemingly with a new name.
Android 11's Easter egg has landed as part of the Beta 3 release, and it should probably be familiar to folks that remember Android 7 Nougat. That's right — the cats are back. Get ready for some kitty collecting.
Google's habit of pushing out bug-fixing releases for the Android 11 Developer Previews and Betas continues. Today we're getting Android 11 Beta 2.5, which delivers a small pile of bug fixes on top of the existing Beta 2 release, including the long-awaited fix for the low-brightness flickering issue that affected the Pixel 4.