Name: Google launches Android 11, rolling out not just to Pixel phones first
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Google launches Android 11, rolling out not just to Pixel phones first

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×Please wait...Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. .Google today launched Android 11, the latest version of its mobile OS, and pushed the source code to the Android Open Source Project (). Unlike previous major versions, Android 11 is not only arriving as an first, but also on OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme phones “with more partners launching and upgrading devices over the coming months.” Update at 1:30 PM Pacific: Some of the phone makers caused some confusion today by releasing their own “Android 11 beta.” All the betas are for their custom UIs, however, based on the final build of Android 11, a Google spokesperson confirmed.That’s a major departure for Android, to arrive thanks to carriers and device makers dragging their feet. It doesn’t help that Android is the dominant mobile operating system available on thousands of different device configurations, powering . With Android 11 poised to potentially arrive on more devices and sooner, developers who didn’t take advantage of the Android 11 beta process will need to catch up and make sure their apps and games are ready for businesses and consumers alike.Android 11 has had a rocky beta schedule. Last year, there were six betas. This year, we saw four developer previews and three betas. Google launched in February (the earliest it has ever released an Android developer preview), in March, and in April. Android 11 Beta 1 was supposed to arrive in May, but we got as a stopgap measure. arrived in June, followed by in July and in August. Beta 1 would have normally been shown off at Google’s I/O developer conference, where the first Android beta typically debuts, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus. was supposed to happen in lieu, but Google postponed and then ultimately canceled that as well due to protests over systemic racism and police brutality.Android 11 brings a long list of new features. Google originally split them into three themes: People, Controls, and Privacy. But there is also support for , , and . There’s even a for helping apps and games adopt variable refresh rates, which will be a big focus over the next few years as phones and TVs adopt the feature from computer monitors. Google also expanded the for running computationally intensive machine learning operations.GamesBeat Summit Next 2022The team also snuck in one more change at the end of the beta process: the latest COVID-19 . In late July, Google updated its version of the system with support for interoperability between countries and announced that Android 11 apps can use the API without needing to turn on the device location setting.Android 11 is supposed to be “more people-centric and expressive” so that it “can recognize and prioritize the most important people in your life.” In other words, expect a lot of messaging functionality:Android 11 makes it easier to control your smart devices:Android 11 also brings more control over sensitive permissions and keeps devices more secure through faster updates:If you’re a developer, you should install your production app on a device or emulator running Android 11, test all the user flows and features, and make sure none of the changes break anything. Before exploring , start by testing your current app and releasing a compatibility update.Top behavior changes include:These apply regardless of your app’s targetSdkVersion.While these changes will only affect Android 11 users, either those who updated to it or purchased a new device, that still translates to millions of devices. Android 11 also includes — these affect your app once it’s targeting the new platform.Google recommends developers dive into the following features for all Android 11 apps: , , , , and . Notably, the first three were originally added in Android 10. Otherwise, Google recommends exploring these features if they’re relevant to your app: , , , , and .You may also want to download Android 11 for Pixel devices, , the , and the latest Android Emulator system images via the SDK Manager in Android Studio.GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.Join gaming leaders live this October 25-26 in San Francisco to examine the next big opportunities within the gaming industry such as esports, user-generated content, influencers, and more.Did you miss a session from Transform 2022? Head over to the on-demand library for all of our featured sessions.We may collect cookies and other personal information from your interaction with ourwebsite.For more information on the categories of personal information we collect and the purposes we usethem for,please view our

×Please wait...Interested in learning what's next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. .Google today launched Android 11, the latest version of its mobile OS, and pushed the source code to the Android Open Source Project (). Unlike previous major versions, Android 11 is not only arriving as an first, but also on OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Realme phones “with more partners launching and upgrading devices over the coming months.” Update at 1:30 PM Pacific: Some of the phone makers caused some confusion...

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Emil Protalinski writes breaking tech news. He has previously written for The Next Web, CNET, ZDNet, Techspot, Ars Technica, and Neowin.

Google launches Android 11, rolling out not just to Pixel phones first

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