Google Launches Android 11 For Developers

Today Google is launching the primary Android 11 Developer Preview. This first OS preview is coming to the Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and 4, alongside generic system images for Project Treble devices, It also features a new name.

Google has already started with the lumbar puncture references and starts the blog post with a dial that goes to 11.
One of the most-used features of Android 11 will probably be a replacement « one-time permission » option for apps that want to access location, microphone, and camera data.
In Android 10, Google added the power to grant permission to an app-only it had been running within the foreground, and now users are going to be ready to grant access to a permission one time.
This is often already in iOS, and it makes tons of sense surely apps.
Google never stops tweaking the Android notification panel, and this year Google says the panel is getting a dedicated conversations section within the notification shade.
Again, we’re working with zero screenshots here, but Google says users are going to be ready to « instantly find their ongoing conversations with people in their favorite apps.
Android 10 segmented the notification panel into high- and low-priority notifications, so maybe we’ll get a 3rd slice of the notification panel for conversations?
The modularization of Android also continues in Android 11. Android 10 spent an excellent deal of its engineering budget on « Project Mainline, » aka « Google Play System Updates, » which moved tons of system components into either updatable APKs or a replacement, more powerful file format called « APEX. » APEX may be a file format custom-designed to be accessible earlier within the boot process and to possess more permissions than an APK, making it ideal for housing and updating lower-level system components.
With the system built, Android 10 shipped with an honest baseline of Mainline modules, and Android 11 is moving even more components into this new update system.
Google says it « added 12 new modules, for a complete of 20 updatable modules » in Android 11. Android 10 had 13 updatable modules, so Google’s new count of 12 new modules and eight old modules makes it sound sort of lot went on.
We’re getting to attempt to hunt a full list.
Android 11 is additionally getting support for the « secure storage and retrieval of verifiable identification documents, like ISO 18013-5 compliant Mobile Driving Licenses. »
In Android 11, Google actually built an « App compatibility » page with toggle-able features for every app.
The thought is that, rather than setting a replacement target SDK and recompiling your app for testing, just open up the app compatibility page, start flipping switches, and see what breaks.
Google also says it’s worked to « minimize behavioral changes that would affect apps » and has made changes opt-in wherever possible.
There’ll probably be more features unveiled in future previews, especially at Google I/O 2020.