With more than half of the people using Android around the world waiting for the their phones are finally updated to Android 10, Google has decided to launch the first developer version of what will be the next major OS update: Android 11.
Like any preliminary version, Android 11 Developer Preview 1 is nothing more than this: an initial version intended for developers to start working with new APIs and architectures at the system level and which, although it is possible, it is not recommended to install on those mobiles that are intended for daily use, due to any problems that may arise.
But despite being a simple trial version, the arrival of Android 11 Developer Preview 1 is of great interest to most fans of the green Android operating system, which year after year they look forward to. Updated that each new edition of the system introduces .. And just this year there are several major changes which we will see in the coming months as development evolves until the final version arrives:
No more disconnections from Bluetooth devices when you turn on airplane mode
We have no idea of the why this feature took so long to implement, but it has finally arrived. And that's what matters.
With Android 11, Google has achieved that, enabling airplane mode, Bluetooth connectivity remains active when a device is connected and the content is playing. That way, even if you turn this option on while listening to music on your Bluetooth headphones, you won't suffer from the classic annoying cut.
A new Bluetooth “engine” with a lot of history
I problems with Android Bluetooth connectivity they are almost as old as the operating system itself. And it is true that Google has improved the stability and capabilities of this technology in the coming years, but the truth is that its operation continues to leave something to be desired on many occasions.
So, instead of continuing to work on trying to improve a software with several years behind it, Google has decided to return to the work table to develop what is commonly known as a new Bluetooth "stack".
Specifically, we are talking about the operating system software that deals with managing everything necessary to make Bluetooth connectivity work. Virtually since the beginning of the operating system, Android has used the "stack" with the name "Fluoride", but this year the company has decided that it's time to make the leap to a new software: "Gabeldorsche".
Under this strange name - whose choice has a more or less logical explanation, even if it might not seem like it -, there is a "Bluetooth stack" that has been developed by Google for just over a year, and which in theory should be born with stability and consistency improvements for Bluetooth connectivity.
To know the origin of this seemingly strange name, we have to go back a few years. In particular, up to the year 958, when Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsonn took over from his father as king of Denmark and, for a short time, also as king of Norway. Eleven centuries later, the company Ericsson honored Harald's name by using the name "Bluetooth" to bring to life the wireless communication technology we all know and use today.
And what does this have to do with Android's new Bluetooth "stack"? If we go back to the time of Harald, we know that 28 years later, his son, Sweyn Forkbeard, he succeeded him as king. And, surprise, the word “Gabeldorsche” used by Google is the German word for a class of fish… called “forkbeards”.
Ultimately, what Google wants to represent by this elaborate name is that “Gabeldorsche” is the successor to the current Bluetooth “engine” for Android, in the same way that Sweyn Forkbeard was in 986 from his father Harald Gormsonn, origin of the name of Bluetooth Technology.
Leave your wallet at home: quickly access your documentation
A future where it is possible forget your wallet at home and having no regrets is much closer. Android 11 will introduce an option to log in quickly cards, passes, and documentation stored on Google Pay long pressing the on / off button of the mobile phone.
This, added to the support for official credentials that will also arrive in this version of the system, implies that soon it will be possible. lead with whether identity cards, drivers or passports directly on your mobile. Now it is only necessary to wait for the legislation to change these virtual documents to be valid. And I'm afraid Google can do little about that.
Even more changes to gesture navigation
Android 10 was the first version of the operating system to introduce a fully gesture-based navigation system. Of course, he also introduced problems with those applications whose navigation format was based on side menus, since when using these gestures, it was not possible to display these option panels swiping from the left to the center of the screen - this gesture was reserved for the action back.
And although Google already offers application developers APIs to allow gesture navigation not to collide with the side menus of their apps, Android 11 introduces options to change the sensitivity of the gestures on the sides of the screen, in order to make it easier to open these types of menus in those applications that do not include the option to bypass the restriction introduced with Android 10.
Notifications even better organized
Notification management receives a restyling in Android 11. From now on, in addition to the existing categories in the notification panel, a new section called "Conversations" is included, where notifications from chats from any messaging application.
In this sense, moreover, Google finally implements mobile bubbles in all messaging apps, a feature that was first introduced to the system in Android 10, but will be enabled by default for the first time by the system's API 30. corresponding to Android 11.
Security and privacy by flag
Unsurprisingly, every new Android version introduces new options and features focused on privacy protection e on safeguarding the integrity of user data. Several are introduced in Android 11.
The first is the possibility of grant single-use permissions applications installed on the device to access the location, microphone or camera. When using this function, the necessary permissions will be requested again the next time the app is opened.
On the other hand, the system «Scoped Storage» introduced in Android 10 will take on even more prominence and everything indicates that it will end up being the default system in Android 11. In principle, its operation consists in "isolating" each application so that it cannot access external data without the express permission of the user. Its very nature has led Scoped Storage to be one of the most controversial implementations in recent years, as some apps, especially file explorers and similar tools, have stopped working completely due to the inability to access the data stored on the device. ..
Also, in terms of safety, improvements have been made all’API BiometricPrompt, so developers can now more easily support biometric systems like Google Pixel 4's facial recognition technology.
Other items updatable through Google Play
When Google announced Project Mainline, a system for "modular" the operating system to allow the updating of some of the essential components via Google Play, thus avoiding manufacturers having to develop and send full OTA updates, were just a few updatable modules via the app store.
In Android 11, however, the number of modules rises to twelve, so that more and more elements of the operating system can be updated via Google Play, thus accelerating the arrival of new functions and security improvements to all devices.
These are some of the most important news that we expect from Android 11. We must not forget that, although the list of changes in the first developer preview is large, the bulk of the interesting features will not be announced until Google I / O 2020 next May, where Google will take the opportunity to launch the first open beta version on Android 11.
