Google Android 11 Beta with focus on privacy released: What's new, and more

After several delays, Google on Wednesday released the first Beta version of its upcoming Android 11 mobile operating system for developers to test before official rollout that is scheduled for later this year. The Beta version of Android 11 is based on feedback that the technology giant received since February on the Android 11 developer previews. According to Google, the Beta Android 11 is built on three key themes: People, Controls, and Privacy.

To make Android 11 people-centric, Google has added different layers of customisations in the OS to help people converse on the phone while prioritising messages from across the apps from contacts that matter. Besides, the Android 11 brings conversation notifications that appear in a dedicated section at the top of the shade, with a people-forward design and conversation specific actions, such as opening the conversation as a bubble, creating a conversation shortcut on the home screen, or setting a reminder. Google has also added ‘Voice Access’ functionality to the OS for people who control their phone entirely by voice. The OS brings an on-device visual cortex that understands screen content and context, and generates labels and access points for accessibility commands.

The Android 11 Beta also brings new ways to control all of your smart devices from one place. It has a dedicated space for device controls that can be accessed by long pressing the power button. The power menu now includes device controls for all connected devices in one place. Moreover, there is also a dedicated section for media controls, which makes it quick and convenient for users to switch the output device for their audio or video content.

The Android 11 Beta also brings new privacy-related features, which give users control over sensitive permissions while keeping their devices secure through faster updates. The Android 11 Beta features a new ‘One-time permission’, which lets users give an app access to the device microphone, camera, or location, just for one time. The app can request permissions again the next time the app is used. Moreover, there is another feature added named ‘permissions auto-reset’, which auto-reset all of the runtime permissions associated with the app that users have not used for an extended period of time.