Android 11: Behaviors, Innovative Features & APIs

Before starting discussion on Android 11, let me clear that if you are not a developer and looking for these features in your handset, it is time to wait. Android 11 is not ready for early adopters to try, this is only an initial preview which is majorly developer facing and not intended for daily or consumer uses. Adding to this preview builds are available for Google Pixel 4 / 4XL, Pixel 3a / 3a XL, Pixel 3 / 3 XL, and Pixel 2 / 2 XL only.

We can bifurcate new updates into three sections:

1. Behavioural Changes
2. Privacy & Security
3. Innovative Features & APIs

Behavioural Changes

1. In the current version if an app asks to use your microphone, camera or location data, users have only two choices — either “NO” or “Have it Always’ . In Android 11, whenever your app requests a permission there is a third option to grant a temporary one-time permission. As shown in figure there is a new option “Only this time”

2. Similar to above for location permissions there is no option of “Allow all the time” in app dialog. You cannot directly request all-the-time access to background location if your application targets Android 11.

3. System will define the behaviour of the user for responding to actions that emulate a tap of the Deny option. In case of specific permission, if user taps Deny twice during the application’s lifetime of installation on a device, this action will be considered as “don’t ask again” for the corresponding permission.

4. JobScheduler API enforces call limits to identify potential performance issues. Application which has debuggable manifest attribute set to true, JobScheduler API invocations beyond the rate limits will return RESULT_FAILURE.

5. Improved UI for storage runtime permission and the contents of the dialog that explains your app’s request for a storage permission.

Privacy & Security

1. They have expanded the Biometrics support. All apps using biometric auth should move to the BiometricPrompt APIs, which are also available in AndroidX for compatibility with earlier versions of Android.
2. Better support for scoped storage — android puts all the apps in their own little bin where they can not interact similar to iOS. This was introduced with Android 10 last year but with android 11 it will be more effective in terms of usability.

Innovative Features & APIs

1. Bubbly pop Up for Messages. This will keep conversations in view and accessible while multitasking on your phones. For this, messaging and chat apps should use the Bubbles API on notifications to enable this in Android 11.

2. Conversation area in Notification section, which breaks out the messages with all other notifications. Users can find their ongoing conversations with people in their favorite apps.

3. When you want to share something, generally it displays all the apps installed in your device. While in Android 11 instead of showing all the apps you can pin the apps you want.

4. Apps can manage pinhole screens and waterfall screens using the existing display cutout APIs.

5. They promise to provide OS level Support for stack authentication which will be helpful to avoid spam calls, low latency video streaming, Game streaming services etc.

6. For 5G improvements there are Dynamic meteredness API and Bandwidth estimator API. It gives the ability to apps to figure out if the phone is really having an unlimited data connection or not. This prevents burning all the data plan!

Conclusion

It is fun, it is amazing to know that google is really working on improving the overall Android experience. Let us wait for more developer previews and beta releases which may bring more surprises for the android developers lovers.