Android 11/R is now out in the form of Developer Preview 1. Google has released the first developer preview for Android 11, the next version of its mobile operating system. It’s the earliest Google has ever done a preview like this, so the updates here aren’t that front-facing, but Google’s making some big promises, li
Bubbles — Reminiscent of Facebook’s chat heads, the “bubbles” feature was originally meant to be part of Android 10 last year. It’s a new UI for messaging apps that lets you keep several conversations easily accessible anywhere through a floating bubble. Right now, it seems that just Google’s own messaging app has support, but the idea is that any app — like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Signal — could take advantage of the feature.
Conversations — To go along with the bubbles there is a new conversations section of the notification shade that breaks out new messages into their own area ahead of all your emails, Instagram likes, and app updates. The idea is to make the communication parts of your phone more accessible because, well, it’s a phone, and that’s what it does — help you talk to people.
Better app permissions — Taking a page out of iOS’s book, Android 11 is adding the option to just give apps temporary permission to your camera, microphone, and location data. It’s a simple addition, but one that makes Android a lot more secure.
Screen recording — Google already had a version of this in Android 10’s betas that didn’t make its way to the final version. But screen recording is back and has a whole fancy UI this time, which means that the feature may finally be shipping in Android 11. It basically does what it says on the can: records your screen.
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