We desired, Google delivered: Here are some of the best features of Android 11

Google has released the Android 11 beta update for Pixel smartphones. The new software update from Google brings in some new features and upgrades.

With Android 11, Google has brought in some key enhancements to existing features which were not only much-needed but also quirky.

Improved app permissions

The biggest highlight of Android 11 features is giving users more control for app permissions. Google will let users set one-time app permissions on Android 11. This means that users will be able to give apps permission to access the smartphone’s microphone, camera, location, etc. particularly for that one instance.

As per Google's post on permissions in Android 11, "Whenever your app requests permission related to location, microphone, or camera, the user-facing permissions dialog contains an option called Only this time. If the user selects this option in the dialog, your app is granted temporary one-time permission.”

Till date, users only had the option to either give app permissions either all the time or deny it altogether. 

What’s better is that Android 11 will automatically reset all permissions an app was previously granted if it has not been used in a long time.

Voice access

Perhaps one of the most underrated accessibility features of Android is voice access. The feature, which has received an upgrade in Android 11, lets users control their smartphone with voice commands. You can use your voice to open apps, navigate, and edit text hands-free. The accessibility feature can now understand screen content and context and generate labels and access points for accessibility commands.

Better media controls and a cleaner notification tray

Google has tweaked and made some changes in the crowded notification tray. With Android 11, the media controls, that would typically show up at the top of the notifications, has been moved to Quick Settings. The media control card will let users switch the device on while the audio or video content is playing on. Simply tap on the device name to select the device you want to switch to for playing audio or video.

Google has also moved the screenshot preview from the notification tray. On Android 11, when you take a screenshot, the preview can be seen on the bottom left corner of the screen, similar to what you get on iOS devices. You can further tap on the preview to edit, save or share the screenshot.

Also read: Android 11 vs iOS

Priority notifications 

How many times has it happened that you miss out on that very important message that gets lost in the array of notifications? At least once, we bet. Google wants to make communication easier and simpler on your phone. The new Android 11 update will move all your conversations across multiple messaging apps to a dedicated space in the notification tray, making it easier for you to locate and respond to texts.

To make it even better, you can mark a conversation as ‘priority’ to give it preference so you never miss an important message. Conversations marked as priority will show up on the screen, even when the device is in ‘Do not Disturb’ mode.

Bubbles 

Bubbles are basically Google’s version of Chat heads on Facebook. The feature lets users mark a conversation as a bubble, which then becomes a tiny icon that can be placed on any corner of the screen. This gives you one-tap access to open a full conversation, thus avoiding the need to switch back and forth between apps.

Bluetooth connectivity even in Airplane mode

Prior to Android 11, the software would disconnect all devices connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. This changes in Android 11 wherein the tiny tweak will not interrupt your music playing experience on a Bluetooth headset or a speaker which is connected to your smartphone.

Screen recording

The feature has been available on iOS and many Android devices running on different skins for quite some time. Now that Google has added native screen recording, users will not have to rely on third-party applications for recording tasks on their smartphone.