Android 11 Preview

This year, Google jumped the gun a bit by launching Android 11 Developer Preview 1 on February 19 — the earliest we’ve ever gotten a new preview.

Chat Bubbles For Messaging Apps
There were hints and teases of chat bubbles in the developer previews of Android 10, but once the final build was released, they were nowhere to be found. Now that Android 11 has arrived, our patience has paid off.
With the new Bubbles API for notifications, any messaging/chat app can now use bubbles to keep conversations more easily accessible.
Similar to what we’ve had with Facebook Messenger for years, the Bubbles API showcases bubbles on the side of your screen for hopping in and out of conversations without having to open the entire application.
When you tap on a bubble, you’ll see your past messages and a text field to send a new one. You’ll need to open the app to access all of the features and settings, but for just firing off a quick message, bubbles are a great touch.

Ongoing conversations in the notification shade
Speaking of messages, Android 11 also brings a new “dedicated conversation section” in your notification shade (try saying that three times fast).
With this, you’ll see any ongoing conversations you have across your various messaging apps. Just like with bubbles, the idea is to make it as easy as possible to keep in touch with your contacts no matter what you’re doing.

Send images from notifications

Rounding out the messaging changes is the ability to send images directly from a notification.
If an app supports copy/paste for images, you’re able to insert pictures and send them with your message without having to open the full application. Once again, we have another tool that expands functionality outside of the core app.

One-time permissions
One of the most important features of Android 10 was its revamped handling of app permissions, and that’s something Google is once again focusing on with Android 11. Specifically, you can now grant apps certain permissions on a one-time basis.
One-time permissions are offered for the most sensitive requests, including access to your location, microphone, and camera. If an application asks for any of these, you can give it temporary access for that one instance.

Mute vibrations while using the camera
Let’s paint a scenario you’ve likely been in before. You have the camera app open on your phone and are either recording a video or trying to compose a great photograph. Everything is going smoothly until you’re interrupted with a vibration for a notification.
To prevent this from ever happening again, Android 11 introduces new APIs that mute vibrations from ringtones, alarms, and notifications anytime the camera app is open.

Support for mobile driving licenses

With everything from credit cards, concert tickets, and boarding passes being able to live digitally on your phone, the need for a physical wallet has basically been reduced to holding your driver’s license. With Android 11, steps are being made to digitize that, too.
The operating system now supports secure storage and retrieval of sensitive ID documents, including ISO 18013-5 Mobile Driving Licenses. This is the standard being used to create digital licenses, and with Android 11, your phone will have the systems in place to support it.

Improvements to scoped storage

Last year with Android 10, Google caught a lot of flak from developers over its decision to implement scoped storage. The main benefit to scoped storage is that it prevents malicious apps from accessing personal information on your phone, while also reducing unwanted app clutter.
The move to scoped storage was a positive change for end-users, but for developers, it meant a lot of extra work for their apps to keep working like normal.
Google’s making improvements to its implementation of scoped storage in Android 11, saying:

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New biometric authentication levels

BiometricPrompt is the API Android uses to facilitate fingerprint sensors and the Pixel 4’s face unlock system. It’s probably not something you think about whenever you use your phone, but it’s the reason you’re able to use biometrics to log into your banking apps, password managers, etc.
Android 11 takes BiometricPrompt to the next level with support for three different authenticator types — including strong, weak, and device credential. This means more granular levels of biometric security and should be a big boon to your phone’s privacy.

Preparing for 5G
2019 was the year that 5G first started rolling out for people to use, and as we make our way through 2020, the next-gen wireless standard will only become more widely available and reliable. Phones with Android 10 can already connect to these 5G networks, but Android 11 makes a couple of changes to make the experience just a little better.
The most notable of these things is the Dynamic Meterdness API, which will check to see if you have an unlimited 5G connection. If it is, you’ll be able to access higher resolution video/graphics to take full advantage of the speeds.

Better compatibility with pinhole/waterfall displays

Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen all sorts of new display types. Notches were the first big trend in the industry’s quest to eliminate bezels, and they were officially supported in Android starting with Android 9 Pie.
Now that Android 11 is here, Google’s expanding its love for various screen designs with support for pinhole and waterfall displays. These are being added to the existing display cutout APIs, but Google has also added a new API that allows apps to use the entire waterfall screen — including the edges.

Android 11 may technically be available right now, but we have a ways to go before it’s ready for everyone.

Developer Preview 1 is the current version, and Google will release two more between now and April. Once May rolls around, the first public beta will be made available and see two subsequent updates that focus on platform stability. Then, in Q3, the final version of Android 11 will be released to the masses.

In total, that’ll see Google releasing six betas/previews leading up to Android 11 in its final form.

Images courtesy of Android Central