What’s New In Android 11?

Google has started rolling out Android 11 to supported Pixel devices and soon it will be available with other phones such as Xiaomi, OnePlus and Realme. Just like every new version, Android 11 also comes with several new features. These are expected to enhance user experience as well as improve security. To understand how the new version will be beneficial, here’s a quick look at what’s new in Android 11.

Screen recorder – Dozens of screen recorder apps are already available on Google Play. However, it’s good to have an inbuilt function that can record your screen. Although the number of customization options are relatively fewer, the native screen recorder on Android 11 is good enough for basic needs. If you are looking for high-level customization options, then you will probably need a third-party app.

Chat bubbles – Similar functions were already available in some earlier versions of Android. The custom UI used by certain manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. too had the chat bubbles functionality. However, chat bubbles have now gone mainstream in Android 11. As chat bubbles can be annoying to some users, Google has provided the option to enable/disable chat bubbles as per your needs.

Conversation notifications – In the last version, the notifications used to be a jumbled mess. You could end up seeing unwanted notifications whereas the really important ones may be moved lower. This problem has been rectified in Android 11. There are now three categories of notifications – Conversations, Alert messages, and Silent. Another improvement is that you can prioritize which conversations you want to be displayed at the top.

Notification history – With dozens of notifications, we often end up dismissing some important notifications along with the unwanted ones. To avoid this, Android 11 comes with notification history function. This can be enabled or disabled, as per your choice.

Smart device controls – Modern homes come with a number of internet connected smart devices that can be controlled via apps. Instead of opening multiple apps, you can access the basic functions of these apps on a single screen. This tool can be accessed by pressing down the power button. You can access and control various Wi-Fi enabled devices such as camera, light, door lock, etc.

Last but not least, security has also been improved significantly with Android 11. Users can now provide one-time access to apps, which is a big step forward. Another security upgrade is the ‘auto-reset’ function wherein existing permissions are revoked if an app is not used for a while. Users also stand to gain from the new policy to provide OS updates directly from Google Play Store. Earlier, this was dependent on the OEMs and carriers.