After a series of developer previews and beta updates, the search giant is finally rolling out the stable Android 11 for Pixel phones. The stable Android 11 update will be available for all Pixel devices except the first Pixel phone and the Pixel XL, but that’s understandable since both devices already received three major OS updates, and to think of it the two devices actually launched with Android 7 Nougat.
The Android 11 is not much of a big update as many fans are expecting, rather Google focused more on optimization, privacy, and added a few features to the OS to provide a better Android experience. Interestingly, other manufacturers like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Huawei have announced Android 11 beta for some of there devices.
Xiaomi already announced MIUI 12 based Android 11 for its Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro device via a tweet following the stable Android 11 announcement. Oppo also confirmed that the first public beta of Color OS based on Android 11 will be available for the Find X2 and Reno 3 Pro series. OnePlus also confirmed that the first Oxygen OS 11 open beta is rolling out today to the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.
In Android 11, Google has introduced conversations which moves messages across multiple messaging apps to a dedicated space in the notification section, so that you don’t miss a single chat. In addition to that, Google also introduced Bubbles, a feature similar to the Facebook messenger chat head. With bubbles, you can now respond and engage with important conversations quickly without switching back and forth between your current task and the messaging app.
Gboard has also been improved, you’ll get relevant and automatic suggestions for emoji and text when typing, and the long-awaited screen recording feature has been added. One of the biggest changes in the Android 11 is the power menu, before now, the power menu only consists of the emergency button, screenshot, reboot, and power. But now, Google has added some quick access and controls to the power menu. You can now access GPay right from the power menu, control your smart devices in one place.
It won’t be long before we start getting Android 11 custom ROM for various phones, so, Android fans who can’t get their hands on the official Android 11 for there device can also enjoy the same experience. Android 11 factory images are available from the Android developer website here and OTA images here for supported devices.